Retelling of Pride and Prejudice
by miaria
Summary: Set in modern day Conneticut and names have been changed, but same basic idea. First fanfic so be nice. R&R AN: I don't own Pride and Prejudice. Ms. Jane Austen has and always will :
1. Chapter 1

There is a story that everyone must tell in their life. A single occurrence that just happens to change the entire course of our existence. Not everyone, however, chooses to share this story. They find it so unbelievable that there is no point to repeat this chain of events. In fact, they may even choose not to acknowledge the fact that the occurrence occurred. I, however, am not one of these people. I choose now to relate my story in the most efficient fashion I know how. To talk to you about it. I live in New York City. Or I should say lived. My parents relocated myself and my four sisters to the outskirts of civilization, somewhere in Connecticut. I loved my city. All the life in it flowed through my veins like a water runs through a river. Need I say that the move was devastating to me. My eldest sister, Jamie, loves it in the rural area we moved to, then again, the world is all very wonderful in her eyes. I am the next in line, the second sister. I am a year younger than Jamie and my name is Alexandria, but everyone calls me Alex. I am 17 years of age, and yet I had no say in our moving. Show me the justice in that. The next in line is Maria, she's fifteen. She is such a social defect, all she does is read and study. The next sister which should be brought to your attention is Liza, who is 14, and my youngest most annoying sister, Katie who is 13. She is obsessed with the male gender. Then there's my mother, dearest mother. I love her to death, but she is so flaky, all she thinks about is us girls. It is almost as if she is trying to relive her teenage years through us. My father, on the other hand, is a quiet mellow sort of man, who wishes not to be disturbed especially when he's working. He's a lawyer, which is Maria's aspiration. The apple didn't fall far from the tree there.

We all live in this tiny house in a small town where nothing ever happens. At least nothing like what it was like in New York. The population here is only 5, 000 people. Tiny, isn't it? The worst part about our house, only one bathroom. Imagine if you will the utter horror of five teenage girls and one bathroom. It sucks to say the least. The move happened in the late spring to early summer. I had no connections to anyone in the town yet, and it had been two months already. I often walked around my neighborhood, waving at the old people that lived sisters had found their own little niches in our new world. Jaime had her close circle of friends that she had meet at her job in the local store. Maria, surprisingly enough, had found a group that studies ALL the time, like her. Liza and Katie were best friends to begin with and were often seen roaming the town looking for the male gender, giggling profusely behind their childlike hands. My story starts around the time that the house next door to us, became occupied with people. Needless to say, a new family moved in. The Bingle's. There was a teenage boy of about 18 and a girl of the same age. They were tall and thin, blonde hair protruding at odd angles on the boy's head, whereas it was smooth and well cared for on the sister's head. The mother and father were mirror images of their children. I walked by their house, and watched them move in. They were distantly polite and it seemed as if the daughter was a little judgemental. I could feel her eyes sizing me up as I ran down our street, ipod headphones place securely in my ears, protecting me from whatever she had to say about my gawky tall figure. The boy made some effort to talk to me. Though, I could tell right away that his interest was firmly planted in my eldest sister Jaime. He would watch her as she walked about the porch, a phone plastered to the side of her beautiful smooth face, a piece of her curly blonde hair always twirling around her long fingers. Her seemly frame looked good in anything. The other two of my sisters were ignored, with their deep brown hair and small childish frames. My own brown hair, which always flew out behind me as I ran, was as straight as a board. The sister appraised us all, and deemed Jaime a little worth her attention. I found out their names were Ellie and Kye. I cared little about them. I stayed in my own world where it was safe, as I watched in fascinated horror at my mother making a fool of herself to our new neighbors. She was always knocking on their door, mentioning to the mother that, wouldn't it be nice if our children, who just happen to be the same age, became friends? The mother of the Kye and Ellie nodded in vast amusement. And always shut the door a little too firmly behind my mother's retreating figure.

About a week after they had finished moving, a candy apple red Porsche appeared in their driveway. It was the sleek kind that I was used to seeing in New York, all the edges seemless and smooth, the look of speed radiating down to its lugnuts. As I was making my morning rounds I craned my neck to see if the owner would step out of it. I was in luck, he did. He was a few years my senior, 19 at the most, and had messy black hair that shaped around his square face, his eyes, when they met mine, were a cold sort of blue. His whole demeanor seemed to scream that he was an unpleasant sort of fellow. He raised a hand in a polite salute, then turned toward the house. He walked with the most grace I have ever seen a human posses, to the front door and was warmly greeted by Ellie, who hugged him fiercely yelling over her shoulder for her brother. I ran up my steps, as their eyes watched me. I knew she was talking about me, as his eyes appraised my thin figure, my brown hair pulled up and sweat ran down my face. I stepped into the house, and leaned against the closed door. His eyes had an unnatural chill to them that had taken me aback. I had no idea what to think of our new neighbor.

______________________________________________________________________________

A month went by. The summer ended in all it's splendor of heat, humidity, and brief violent rain storms. Fall came, and with it another change for myself and my sisters. A new school. The candy apple red Porsche was always at the house next door. I never saw the owner, but Ellie and Kye frequented their porch, watching us, occasionally returning inside. My sister and I owned one vehicle; the ugliest minivan you could imagine, the color,a faded red, resembling rust at times. As Jaime(her senior year), Katie, and Liza(their freshmen), Maria(her sophomore year) and myself(Junior year), pulled up to the school, I could feel and hear the ridiculing glances and voices as they assessed the new kids car. I was mortified. I walked quickly away from the vehicle, head down and walking fast. My sister Jaime called after me, but I ignored her. I just kept walking. Until I ran into something that is. I almost fell over, but steadied myself looking up at what....no I should say who, I ran into. Those eyes were still just as cold, as they had been when they looked at me from his Porsche. "Beg pardon." he murmured, a light British accent tinting his speech. I mumbled a reply and walked swiftly past him. I could feel his eyes the entire way.

Jaime finally caught up with me, her blonde hair swinging over her shoulders as she ran. "Who was that?" she asked oblivious to the fact that the guy I had just run into had been living next door for about a month. "He lives with the Bingle's." I muttered. She looked over her shoulder at his tall muscular frame and shrugged. "I've never seen him before."

Katie and Liza walked past us, whispering behind their hands and looking back frequently at the object of Jaime and myself's conversation. I rolled my eyes at their retreating backs and kept walking, head down, my only mission being to get through the day.

The high school office was a collection of papers, filing cabinets, and messy desks. Their was an "in" and an "out" box filled to the brim with forms and paper-clipped copies of schedules sitting on the main desk in the front of the office. The secretary was a squat woman with graying hair and a smiling face. She appraised us as we all walked into her domain. "Welcome." she began with a slight drawl to her voice. "You must be the Benny girls." she said her eyes running over us and the natural age order we all stood in. Jaime stepped forward and handed her the manilla folder that held all the transfer papers, scheduling papers, health forms, and "oh-b y-the way" forms that my mother had spent hours filling out the night before. I watched in amusement as she silently cursed the pen she wrote with and questioned the Lord Almighty over her number of children. The secretary took the folder and added it to the "in" box. "Well, I guess you all...." she stopped staring over my left shoulder, another smiling hiding her looks of appraisal. I turned to see what she was looking at and found myself staring at the Bingles and my own personal wall. "You must be the Bingles and Mr. Darce." she said, a sigh over her elevated job load hiding in her fake cheeriness. "Yes, actually." Kye answered. She nodded at all seven of us and turned to her desk. "Let's see. I have here schedules, a map of the school, and a slip of paper that is to be signed by all your teachers certifying that you attended all your classes today." she looked over her glasses at all of us. "Be sure you turn these in at the end of the day." She pushed her glasses up and flipped through the papers she had. She called each of our names and we stepped forward to claim our papers. After she had handed these out she gave us a stern look. "Get to class, and I don't want to see any of you in this office again. At least for causing trouble." She then grinned as if it were a good joke and shooed us out of her office. I looked at my sisters and almost started laughing. All of them were rummaging through their papers, trying to find out where they needed to be. One by one, they all left for their respected classes as I began the same process. My first class appeared to be Chemistry. Great. I walked down the hallways, glancing at the many decorated lockers of cheerleaders, jocks, and the occasional chess nerd. The diversity stunned me. In New York, there were only two crowds. The in or the out. I usually resided on the out. My older sister Jaime, was always on the in. Don't even get me started on the other three. I was used to being an outcast, so it was no surprise to me when I stepped into the classroom, noone wanted to sit with me, or offer me a seat. I sat quietly, waiting for the bell to start my day. I closed my eyes and started to daze. The bell rang, and there was a shuffle to get seated. I could feel a person sitting next to me, but still I held my eyes shut.

I was awakened by a loud smacking sound on the desk in front of me. I slowly opened my eyes to see a balding man of about 40 standing over my desk, glaring fixedly at me. "I realize you're a new student Miss Benny, but we do things a little differently here. In my class, there is no sleeping. Just rapid note taking, and labs. Get used to it." he smacked his hand on the desk one more time and nodded to my desk partner. There was a slight undercurrent of giggling noises and I blushed crimson. My desk partner cleared his throat, and I turned with the horror of realization, towards him. It was my wall. Mr. Darce, I guess his name was. His eyes were slightly amused, but that was quickly replaced by the cold vacantness that usually resided there, once he realized I was staring.

The class was uneventful, except for the feeling of slight dislike radiating from the other side of my lab table, and the bell couldn't ring quick enough. I rushed to what the layout of the school told me, was my locker. Jaime was right there as well and she looked happy and flustered at the same time.

"I...." she began breathlessly. "Got to sit next to and talk to the most wonderful guy in the whole world." she sighed blissfully. "I see. And was he real, because Jaime, sometimes I wonder if the people you meet are the same people I meet. They may seem real to you, but in reality, they suck." I looked at her reddening face. "Yes, he's real." she muttered, her beautiful features clouded by a frown.

"I'm sorry, Jaime. I just sat next to the coldest most ungracious creature in the world. I'm none to happy right now. I'm sure he is the best guy imaginable." I looked back up at her from my rummaging in my backpack and saw that she wasn't even listening to me. She had the look of a seasick puppy on her face and had a shining look in her eyes. I turned to see what had her so enraptured. There, walking down the hallway towards us was another enraptured person, his sister, and my cold deskmate. The enraptured boy was in fact Kye Bingle. He was smiling and waving at Jaime and she waved back shyly. He approached us with his two sidekicks. "Hello, Jaime." he said softly. "Hi, Kye." she responded.

I heard a snort to his right and saw Ellie cross her arms in an ill natured manner. "Oh, this is my sister, Ellie and my best friend, Noah. We've just come from England. Mum and Dad wanted us to experience some culture, so we moved here. We live just next door to you. Did you know?" he said excitedly to Jaime. "Yes, my sister." here she pointed me out, "Alexandria, we call her Alex, told me that we had new neighbors. England, my that's exciting. I should love to go to England." she smiled.

When I was pointed out, the eyes of all three whipped towards me, but only one pair lingered there. My own personal wall, could not seem to stop staring at me. The bell rang, a warning that we had better head to the classes we were assigned to next, lest we be late.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I don't own Pride and Prejudice. I have Miss Jane Austen to thank for my reading enjoyment.

I ran off in a desperate attempt not to seem flustered. My next class was a little better. No one that I knew was in it, making it, in a word, ideal. I walked through the rest of the day and managed to get by without incident. At the end of the day we all piled into the ugly mini-van, and Jaime pulled out of the parking lot, a dreamy expression on her face.

"Jaime?" I called waving my hand in front of her eyes as she ran through a stop sign, receiving an unfriendly gesture from the driver who had the right of way.

"Hmm?" she asked absently.

"Should I drive? You are quite distracted right now."

She looked over at me with half seeing eyes and shook her beautiful head. "No, I'm fine."

Katie giggled from behind her hand. "She is distracted, isn't she?" she whispered to Liza, while Maria glared at them from behind her book. "Would you two quiet down?" she muttered crossly.

I rolled my eyes at the scene that had unfolded in the rearview mirror and turned my thoughts back to Jaime. It was like her to trail off on some fancy she had for random guys, but never this bad. It worried me for her sanity.

After what seemed like an eternity, we pulled up to our house. Jaime stopped the van, dropped the keys in my hand and floated off to the house, her cell phone in her hand. Katie giggled again and whispered to Liza whose eyes grew wide, and they skipped into the house with Maria glaring at them in disgust as she followed them up the steps.

I dared to glance over to the house next door, which seemed to be the cause of all the trouble and found myself staring into a pair of steel blue eyes. Noah Darce saluted me and returned into the house. I blushed up to my hair line and darted into the house.

I slammed the door behind me and slumped against our door. My heart was thudding hard in my chest and I had no desire but to run for miles, to get away from that cold gaze.

"Alex, dear. You're as pale as a ghost!" My mother exclaimed as she walked by with a very large basket of laundry in her arms. She set it down on the couch and stretched her back, sighing.

"What is the matter?" she asked beginning to fold one of my running shirts.

"Oh…umm."

"Your sister is certainly in a good mood." She replied. Of course. Leave it to my mother to bring up another subject while she was asking me how I was.

"Yes, I really don't know why." I muttered. I picked up my bag and began to walk towards the stairs.  
"I think it's that Bingle boy." She stated simply, stopping me in my tracks. "She has been going on about him for the past ten minutes." She finished looking pleased.

I shrugged and muttered an excuse about homework, fleeing for the stairs.

When I entered the quiet haven of my room, I slumped. Those eyes…

"Alex?" my sister Jaime knocked at my door like an excited child coming to tell me that Santa had come.

"Yeah? Come in Jaime."

She flashed a dazzling smile at me when she came in and plopped on my bed disturbing the patterned quilt I had made out of sheer boredom that summer. I retreated to my desk and turned my swivel chair to face her. I opened my hands, inviting her to share what was on her mind.

"So…um. I guess you have guessed that I…uh….have a sort of crush on someone." She muttered shyly.

"Jaime, it was very obvious you like Kye." I stated sighing. She looked panic stricken and I raised my hands, waving them slightly as I exclaimed, "No! I meant that I could tell, because we're so close and all. I'm sure no one else can tell."

Her body released the tension she had built up in it. "Yes. It's true. I like Kye."

I rolled my eyes and then grinned. "Well, my money is on the bet that he likes you too."

She looked up excitedly. "Really?" she breathed.

"He couldn't take his eyes off of you today."

She giggled and jumped up, grabbing my hands. "Do you really think so? Oh, that would be awesome." She sighed dropping my hands. "I'm not really sure how to go about this though."

"oh, Jaime. You'll be fine. Things will work out. You'll see."

She looked at my, as if for the first time since she had entered the room. "You aren't happy, are you?"

"I'm…content." I managed to stutter out, "But, I promise Jaime, I will be as happy as you are one of these days. I'm sure that it will all work itself out."

Jaime's cell phone buzzed then and she took it out of her pocket, glancing at the caller id. She grinned at me, and flipped the phone open saying hello. I rolled my eyes at her retreating figure. No matter how much happiness I wished her, I couldn't help but feel as though it was simply too much.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I don't own Pride and Prejudice. Thank you Jane Austen.

I ran like there was no tomorrow. It was the only thing that I had that I was good at. The sweat poured down my back and my breath came in quick bursts. I ran until my body begged me to stop. I finally stopped at a corner not but a block from my house and let my lungs receive the air it longed for and stretched a little to keep my muscles from cramping.

I closed my eyes, lifting my face toward the afternoon sun, letting it's warmth soak through my slowly cooling body. I stiffened as I felt the presence of another person behind me and slowly turned to see who it was. I was afraid that it may be _him. _But, it wasn't. Instead, my glance fell upon a homely girl with mouse brown hair shoved up in a ponytail, and gray eyes. She was jogging towards me, headphones firmly placed in her ears. It wasn't until she was right on top of me that she had registered that I was there. When she came to a screeching halt in front of me, she smiled widely, brightening her features. She yanked the headphones out of her ears and thrust a hand in my direction.

"Hello. I'm Charly." She stated, panting slightly from her run. I stared at the hand for a minute before extending my own, and muttering my name, while pumping her hand.

"I live just up the street. You know you should join a team. I've seen you run. We run the same loop, but this is the first time I've caught you. You're incredible." She beamed at me.

"Thanks." Was my simple response.

"Well, I've got to run, but I'll see you in school?" she questioned.

"Uh, yeah. Sure thing…"  
"Charly. Short for Charlotte. Dreadful name." she grinned. "Bet your name is short for like Alexandria or something."

"Yeah. Equally horrid name. But I've made the best with it." I said. This girl grew on me. Although I had vowed to just get through high school without necessary attachments, I think I had just found my new best friend.

Charly grinned at me again, reinserted her headphones, and with a wave, was off running again.

It never ceased to amaze me the number of people there were in this world that completely surprised me.

I ran home, and snuck past my mother, who was watching her soaps, up to my room. Jaime had gone to work by this time, so I had the room to myself. Usually Jaime was in my room, talking my ear off. I love my sister, I really do, but all I needed right now, was some quiet.

Which was not what I got. As soon as I plopped on my bed, Katie knocked on my door, and without bothering to wait for my 'enter', opened the door and began asking me what was wrong with Jaime, and asking how my day went, and could I help her get ready for a date on Friday?

I stared blankly at her for a minute, processing her questions through my already swamped mind.

I shook my head slightly as the wheels started to turn again.

"Ummm, I don't know. It was fine. Yes." I replied. She giggled and yelled thank you, before fleeing my room. I heard Maria yelling from her room for Katie to _please _shut up, she was studying.

I closed my door firmly behind her, and pulled out my homework. My thoughts ran over the events of my prolonged day, and sighed. It was obvious to me that Jaime would end up with his sister had anything to say about it. I still couldn't figure out that Noah guy though. He seemed distant from everyone. I had never heard him speak, either. He was a mystery that I really didn't care to unravel.

***

That night I fell asleep quickly. My dreams were turmoil. They switched back and forth from Noah Darce to my sister, then to Kye Bingle, to my dear mother, then back to Noah Darce.

I awoke still tired, and even more confused. My hair was a mess and when I came downstairs to eat breakfast before school, Jaime raised her eyebrows at me.

"You look horrible." She said looking me over again.

Katie surveyed me and shook her head. "You'll never get that Darce guys attention like that."

I shot her a look that would have frozen the deepest pits of hell. Maria looked up from her book and rolled her eyes. "Please. Everyone knows that the females who have to dress up to gain the male of her choosing will ineviatably marry that male, have a plethora of children, and then get a divorce because her husband is cheating on her. She will then work at a low paying job for the rest of her life wondering what went wrong." She returned behind her book. Katie looked at her, astonished.

"What is _wrong _with you?" she asked in disgust.

Liza giggled from her cereal bowl, and looked away when I gave her a warning look. Jaime shook her head, fingering my frizzy ponytail. 'Well, it'll have to do.' I thought a little too bitterly.

My mother gave me the same speech that Katie had. I shrugged her off.

"Seriously Alexandria, you would think you were a boy the way you act. I will never have grankids at this rate." She pouted.

"Mom. You cannot put your hopes in me to give you grankids. Besides, what about Jaime?" I retorted.

"Oh, well yes. That's working out smoothly, but you…you will never work out, unless you shape up, missy." She waved a spatula at me while she said this.

I was so relieved when we left for school. I didn't care that Katie was on her cell phone talking about the latest gossip story, or that Maria was humming Bach. I only wanted to be away from the world, and I had always found at school, I could usually do that.

But there was never an easy escape… ever.

A/N: Hey guys. Sorry it's taken so long for me to update. I'm a college kid and I have flute lessons and band rehearsal to add to my history major and Music ed minor. I have no free time. But I will srsly try to get things flowing again.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I did not create the world of beauty that is Pride and Prejudice. We have the wonderful Miss Austen to thank for that

I dropped my books to the desk with a sigh. He wasn't here. And by he I meant Noah Darce. I was so relieved I almost fell over. He was just so…so…cold.

Instead seated, grinning up at me was a boy who had course brown hair, and rather uninteresting brown eyes. His grin grew wider when he caught me sizing him up.

"Hello." He said and waved at the seat that I usually possessed. "Won't you sit down? Class is going to start soon."

I sat down. He patted my hand and told me, "Really Mr. Bell is not so bad. He's a wonderful instructor." Then turned back towards his own Chemistry book and began thumbing through it as if it were light reading.

The class started and then ended. I gathered my books and walked out into the hallway. The boy who had sat next to me dashed out after me calling my name. Though how he knew it was beyond me.

I pretended not to hear him and walked steadily onward with my head down towards my locker.

The boy did catch up with me and stated breathlessly, "Im Collins. Ben Collins…" he offered his hand. I shook it and muttered my name though he knew it already. Collins began to talk of trivial things as I tuned him out.

"Alex?" the voice of my savior. I turned to see who it was, and there was Charly. She smiled widely at Collins and then turned to me. "So, practice after school?" I stared at her. "What?"

She looked slightly wounded. "Cross country practice." She said in a rather small voice.

"Oh! Right! I am so sorry. I forgot all about that. I..yeah, I'll definitely be there." I gave her a small smile.

She beamed and then nodded. "See ya then." She waved at Collins then darted off. I slammed my locker shut, and in a way dismissed Collins with a 'I have to go to class' line, which he replied he also had to go and turned the other direction.

He was rather annoying and I couldn't help but admit that I would not have minded sitting next to Darce instead.

I began to walk towards my next class and Jaime bounced up to me, her blonde hair swinging from its pony tail.

"You will never guess what just happened to me!" she giggled.

"What?"

"Kye Bingle just asked me to the homecoming dance." She spread her hands and beamed.

I paused and glanced at her. "Jaime. The homecoming dance isn't for weeks. The semester's just started. In fact, homecoming isn't until November. It's September."

"Well…I… umm." She looked a little crestfallen.

"But I'm sure he was just securing the most beautiful girl in school." I remarked, trying my best to cheer her fragile soul. She grinned up at me through her glum eyes and nodded.

"See…see you at lunch." She whispered and walked away. I was such a horrible sister.

The Cross country coach sized me up, nodding.

"You'll do. I want to see you run."

"Sir?"

"Run around this track until I tell you to stop." He motioned at the brightly colored track that was below us and blew a whistle. I flinched and jogged over to the track when he glared at me.

The track was springy and unlike anything I had ever run on before. It was soft on my feet which was used to straight concrete and my knees almost thanked me as I began to run.

As usual, I lost myself in running, disregarding time or place. That is until I heard a person running right next to me.

I dared to glance over and to my horror found Noah Darce keeping pace with me.

He glanced over at me and huffed forward. There was no way this was happening. He could not be running. He doesn't run. I thought to myself. But then again, I didn't know that for sure. I didn't know much of anything about him.

I pushed forward catching up with him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked in a less than happy voice.

He looked over at me and shrugged. "Running." He said his accent thicker when he was short on breath. Again he surged forward.

Of all the horrible things that could happen to me, I had already experienced three. One, I moved to the middle of nowhere. Two, a random guy whom I could really care less to know, was hitting on me. And three, Noah Darce was on the cross country team. Life, it seemed was just as agreeable as my mother's stomach after she had too many margaritas on a hot day.

************


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Jane Austen not me, owns Pride and Prejudice and all its beauty.

September, then October passed, the leaves turning beautiful shades of oranges and reds, then in November, a cold unfeeling brown.

Collins continued to pursue me and Charly and I became fast friends. She lived down the street from me and I warmed to her as we warmed up together at practice and ran together on the weekends.

I shared with her my vast dislike for Darce and told her of Collins. She agreed with me on the matter of Darce, but she looked rather sheepish when I mentioned the insufferable Collins.

I suspected that she liked him, but didn't pry. That, of course, was none of my business.

Katie had at least three boyfriends and Liza had one or two in the passing months. Maria had joined the debate team and found solace in people more like her. Jaime continued to gush to me about the wonderful Kye Bingle and admired him from entirely too far away. She talked to him and flirted with him, for sure, but she never really encouraged much more from him.

My mother continued to question me every day of their relationship and after a while I threw my hands up and shouted, "I don't know!" My dear mother was rather taken aback and kept her thoughts to herself from thereafter.

The homecoming dance approached quickly and I did go. Jaime begged me, and I couldn't refuse her. So, we went dress shopping and I picked out the most gorgeous deep red dress for Jaime. It matched her pale complexion perfectly, bringing out what little color her cheeks held naturally. It had sequins on the bodice and the skirt flared out, accenting her tiny waist.

My dress was a forest green with a simple bodice and a thin skirt that lay around my thin frame unartistically. It was my opinion that I looked like an asparagus, but Jaime insisted otherwise. We drug Charly along and bought her a beautiful pale blue gown that looked like a Grecian princess's dress. It made her look pretty.

Kye drove Jaime of course and I drove Charly and myself. Maria was old enough to go to the dance but begged off saying she had homework.

The van clunked along as Charly talked of how excited she was for the dance and I nodded in turn at her comments.

We finally arrived at the gym, where the dance was being held. As we walked in and handed the poor sucker working the booth our tickets, I could smell the faint reek of gym socks and rubber from the numerous balloons.

Charly grinned at me, taking my arm and leading me onto the dance floor. Couples were pressed together, swaying to the music and I spotted Jaime and Kye twirling around like only my sister would do. I smiled in spite of myself.

Charly craned her neck, looking for someone and smiled widely when her eyes made contact with her object of affection. Collins made his way over to us and bowed as if he were in an Austen novel. He looked up at me and held his hand out. "May I?" I blushed to my hairline. Not for me, but for poor Charly. I found myself agreeing however, and he led me out to floor as a slow song began to play. Poor Charly.

He placed his hands gently on my waist and we began to move in the circle that was customary slow dancing technique.

"I..hope that I'm not being too bold." He began, his voice soft and unsure, he frowned then looked up at me. "But, I was wondering if we could…well…if you would save all these dances for me." He finished. Dear poor Charly.

"Er..umm Collins, that's really sweet of you to want to dance with me all night but…"

"..But she is otherwise engaged." A deep voice that was all too familiar to me said. Collins frowned up at Darce who was standing behind me and dropped his hands from my waist.

"I see." He mumbled, then turned and stumbled off. I turned to Darce.

"Who, may I ask, am I otherwise engaged with?" I asked. He bowed his head. He couldn't be serious.

He held his hand out to me and I stared at it. He dropped it.

"A thank you would suffice." He said in a distant voice.

"Thank you." I said in an equally unfeeling voice. He walked away, in the most stately manner I had ever seen a rejected man walk away in. Of course I wouldn't dance with Noah Darce. He didn't like me, and I didn't like him.

At this time, Jaime waltzed up to me. She clutched my arm and pulled me out into the hallway.

Her beautiful face was flushed and she was breathless. "Alex. I have amazing news!" she exclaimed. Nothing could really shock me. When she said she had amazing news, that usually meant something spectacular had happened to her. But what came out of her mouth next halted me in my tracks.

"We've been invited my Kye and his family to go to London with them and Darce over winter break!" she exclaimed.

"We've? As in you and me?" I asked astounded.

"Yes! Isn't it great. Of course winter break is only three weeks, but what a glorious three weeks. Can you imagine!? In London? Oh, and I know you don't like Darce, but really Alex, there will be plenty of other men there for you to hang out with."

I nodded absently as I locked eyes with Noah Darce. He looked away immediately and left the gym through a side door.

Of course mother would let us go. She was convinced the Jaime and Kye were going to get married any day. I had no idea what I would do. A whole three weeks with my love struck sister, Kye Bingle and his snobby sister and mother and father, and Noah Darce…


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Jane Austen owns it all.

Additional A/N: Ummm, so I know nothing about London or anything other than the US of A, so I won't really be focusing on detail about where they're at, mainly on what they are doing. If there is anyone from say Europe who's reading this story and wants to throw helpful tips my way on how they act over there or what the environment is like, I would greatly appreciate it. So here's a really short chapter, in preparation for London.

"But mom…Why can't I go?!" whined Katie the next day at breakfast.

Mother looked at Katie and cradled her face lovingly between her hands. "Because sweets, you weren't invited and you're too young to go to London."

Katie shoved out of her hands and muttered something inaudible as she stormed out of the room. Maria looked up from her book and rolled her eyes. "I told you mother. If you spoil her, she won't respect you. Mark my words, one day she will be the biggest handful."

"Oh, Maria. You are so full of nonsense." Jaime replied to her, dropping her spoon in her now empty cereal bowl. Maria stuck her tongue out at Jaime in a rather uncharacteristic manner.

I remained silent throughout, until my mother turned to me. "So, you accepted of course."

I nod. I would have to be insane to have turned down an opportunity to go to London, especially when it was all expense paid.

Mom sighed with relief and sat down hard in her chair. "If I weren't so old, I would go along." She said tiredly. Leave it to my mother to invite herself to everything.

Jaime smiled half-heartedly, secretly appalled by the idea of her mother in London with her. I picked up my bowl and walked towards the sink. Surely, this day would get better. But I had very little hope left in me.

We drove to school in silence, disrupted by an occasional sniffle from Katie, who was still upset about her not being able to go to London.

I walked into my first class and plopped down next to Collins who looked at me in a pained manner. He cleared his throat and looked away. Then thinking better of it, he turned to me.

" I know that you ladies like to play hard to get." He grinned. I looked at him like he had just sprouted another eye in the middle of his forehead. What the hell was he talking about?

"But, you must know that it will only encourage me more. I am not one to play around with a fine woman, such as yourself's, emotions. I…well. You see…"

"Collins are you asking me out?"

"Well, ummm…"

"Collins?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you Collins, but I'm going to have to say no."

"There. You see?! You _are _one of those girls who drag the man of your dreams around before finally ending his misery and saying yes!" His grin was back.

"Collins. Believe me. I _despise _those kinds of girls. I would never lead a guy on. If he showed interest in me and I shared an interest, I would say yes. Please believe me when I say that I cannot go out with you."

"Surely, once you give me a date you will see…"

"Collins. I will not go out with you. Ok? I'm sorry." I grabbed my books and walked to another table, and plopped my books down. A small snigger fluttered around the classroom at Collins public rejection. I sort of felt bad for the poor guy, but I couldn't do that to Charly. And I couldn't really stand him anyway. He was just so…so _boring. _

The class, thankfully ended quickly and I bolted. Naturally I wasn't watching were I was going, and I ran into none other than Noah Darce.

He grasped my arms to keep me from falling over. I had run into him rather hard, and he was a rather sturdy fellow. His face colored and he dropped my arms quickly when I glared up at him.

After a brief silence, he spoke. "I hear you are traveling to London with the Bingles and myself?"

"Yes. They were very nice to invite us."

"I'm very happy that we shall have you and your sister for company."

"Well…um…"

"Alex!!" saved again by my angel Charly. She came bouncing up to me, her hair swinging from its tight ponytail. She sort of waved at the annoyed looking Darce and pulled me towards the corner of the hallway.

"You will never guess, what just happened to me." She grinned.

"What?"

"Collins just asked me out. Can you believe it?" she was practically glowing with happiness. Geez, that was fast. He had just been rejected by me, and had already run off to Charly. Well to each their own. At least Charly got the happy ending she was looking for.

Her face fell. "What?" she asked. I hadn't noticed that my face had fallen into a sort of grimace. I quickly made up an excuse.

"Umm. It's just Noah Darce. He drives me crazy. He obviously can't stand the sight of me, yet he insists on talking to me all the time. I don't get him" I glanced over to where he was standing and he caught my eye.

Charly looked over at him. "I don't know. I think he kinda likes you." She shrugged.

She had no idea, how much I hoped that that was the farthest thing from the truth. I would rather he hated me, then put up with another guy's infatuation.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Jane Austen owns it all. I own nothing.

The airport was overcrowded and stuffy. The company wasn't much better. Mr. and Mrs. Bingle were of course polite to my sister. I, of course, had no one take any notice to me.

Darce of course took to a corner, and stared at passerbies. Jaime and Kye talked amongst themselves, and the sister Ellie started at me with contempt.

I felt alone and I wanted nothing more than to be staring at the snow covered ground from the window seat of my bedroom. But I suppose, that in life you must do things that you do not want to do.

Our plane was called and we boarded. Life plays some cruel tricks on you. Not only did I have to spend my Christmas break with Noah Darce, but I also had to sit with him on the plane. He smiled at me when I sat down.

"Are you excited to go visit another country?" he asked in a quiet voice. I stared at him and shook my head slightly.

"Not particularly."

He frowned. "Why ever not? These people have been kind enough to not only invite yourself and your sister, but also pay your way and provide shelter for you."

"Yes, I am very much aware of that. I am thankful for that. But to be quite honest, I would rather be at home watching a really bad ABC Family original movie."

He looked at me in slight confusion. Of course he had never heard of these particular waste of Saturday nights. He was British. He turned toward the plane window as the plane began to take off.

We sat for some time in silence, until I dozed off. When I awoke, I was very shocked to see him watching me. He smirked slightly when he realized he had been caught.

" Thank the gods you woke up. I was afraid that the chainsaws you were snoring might come to life and kill me." He smiled again and turned to the window.

The meal was served, the movie played(an even worse film than ABC Family I must admit), and the pilot announced our arrival in London.

The family had two cars waiting for them in the pouring rain of London and I choose the farthest one from the cold Ellie. Jaime sat with me as we rode through the streets of London.

So many statues…so much damn rain. Finally, we pulled up to the house that the family presumably lived in. Our things were taken up to a small bedroom with one queen sized bed, for myself and Jaime to share of course. I promptly plopped down on this bed, which earned me a look of great disapproval from the maid.

Jaime walked to the window and sighed. "We're in London Liz." She said leaning her forehead against the cold windowpane.

"Yes we are. I still don't know why I was invited." I muttered under my breath. Jaime turned to look at me and frowned. "Shut up. You're here as a guest."

That was unlike Jaime. "What is your deal?" I asked gruffly. She sighed and ran her delicate hands through her model like hair. "I don't think they like me."

I stared at her incredulously. "What? Why the hell not?" She shook her beautiful head again. "I don't think they approve of me and Kye."

"I don't think I care. He likes you, his parents be damned. I think that's all that matters." I replied, my voice a little tighter than I had intended it to sound. She smiled forlornly at me.

"Dinner, dears." A maid in a smart little gray outfit announced at the door. Just what I needed, dinner. Couldn't I sleep? Jet lag's a pain to deal with.

Dinner was served. I got the pleasure of sitting next to the mother. She was great enough as to keep up a stream of conversation with me.

"How many siblings do you have? What are your life goals? Are you liking London?" she asked all these, all of which I answered grudgingly while sipping on a green soup I suspected to be turtle.

After dinner, we all retreated to the sitting room. I felt like I was in a bad movie where the rich family barely tolerated the outsiders, and I was a sit in for the main character.

Had this been an Austen novel, I suspect someone would have had me play the piano they had sitting in there. As it were however, Noah sat at it, and began playing Claire de Lun. Mrs. Bingle looked over at Jaime.

"So. You graduate this year, do you not?" she asked her.

"Yes.."

"And what do you plan to do with your life after high school?"

"I hadn't really thought of that. I will probably go to college and…."

"Unacceptable. A woman's place is by her husband. Universities are not for a young lady."

"Well. I could always just…"

"A pretty thing like you should have no problem in acquiring a husband. You shall be fine."

OMG. I was in an Austen novel. Who _was _this woman?

Jaime sat quietly, her hands in her lap, and looked down at them. Mrs. Bingle gave her the once over and continued.

"I suppose that in America, however, things are different. One cannot simply rely on the husband. Perhaps you will have to obtain a career. Where that the case, what university would you attend?"

"Umm…probably NYU."

Mrs. Bingle nodded. "Acceptable for a girl of your stature."

What was that supposed to mean? And where was Kye sticking up for her honor, or whatever guys were supposed to do?

The music stopped and Noah sat next to Mrs. Bingle. "Come now, Celia. Don't interrogate her on her first night in London. Maybe it's time that we all got a little sleep." He said with a smile.

Mrs. Bingle patted Noah's leg and nodded. "I am remarkably tired, I dare say you are as well dear." She turned to her children. "Bed time loves." She grinned and waved at the maids, who lead us to our respectable rooms.

When Jaime and I were in our room, she burst into tears. "What was I supposed to do?" she sobbed. "She cornered me. I didn't know what she wanted from me." Her hands covered her tear stained eyes.

A quick knock at our door and in burst Kye. When he saw that Jaime was crying, he ran towards her and took her into his arms. I glared at him. "Some help you were." I snarled.

He looked at me as if I had just showed up. "My mother is a bit harsh, but she means well." He shrugged and began stroking Jaime's hair as she cried into his chest. He whispered soothing things into her ear and she fell asleep. He laid her down gently and turned to me. "I know that perhaps I should have helped her some, but believe me, it's better that I don't intervene. The chances for Jaime and I to be together depends on my silence believe it or not." And he left.

Dirty cockroach. But whatever. He had to do what was right by him I guess. I looked at Jaime's sleeping tear streaked face and sighed. This trip probably wasn't the best idea.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I own nothing Pride and Prejudice related. That's thanks to Miss Austen :D**

**Oh, and I wanted to make the chapter a little longer. I won't be able to post over the summer b/c I don't have internet at my house. But I promise I will write over the summer and update as soon as I get back to college next fall. **

The next day dawned bright and clear on my sister's tear stained face. She had cried herself out worrying about what Mrs. Bingle thought of her and wondering if the future she had with Kye was gone because of it. I sat on the window seat examining the streets of London. Eventually, Jaime came to join me, her eyes puffy and unattractive.

"Hey." I whisper.

"Hey…" she returns.

"Listen, Jaime…." I begin but am interrupted by a loud knock followed by a plump maid bowing and "begging your pardon dears.' Once we got her to stop curtsying, she informed us that we were to get dressed and meet the family down in the dining room for breakfast.

I sighed as the maid left, and rubbed Jaime's back gently, urging her to get moving. We were the guests, and as such should follow the proper "guest edicate."

As soon as we were dressed, we headed downstairs towards the elaborate dining room table. I was extremely happy to see that our good friend Mrs. Bingle was not there. However, that happiness was quenched quickly when I saw that Noah Darce was…

"Good morning, ladies." Kye greeted us warmly. "Sleep well?" he asked when I waved to him and Jaime just looked at the floor. I mumbled something that resembled an answer and sat down next to Jaime in a high backed chair. Kye nodded as if that settled all the matters needed to be settled.

"So, we are going out today." Kye continued as we were served fluffy yellow eggs with a side of toast that looked saturated in butter. I looked up and nodded, then dug into my eggs.

"Where are we going?" Jaime asked.

"Just sightseeing. I thought I'd show you London."

The rest of breakfast was in silence and when the plates had been cleared, Kye called for the car.  
Oh, how I hated rich people…

The streets of London were full of people, and of course the occasional double decker bus. I marveled again at the rich history embedded in the statues that lined the streets.

We passed much of the day seeing all the famous places that Kye was too eager to show us. About half past three, Ellie looked at her watch and yawned.

"Honestly, Kye. You are so boring. These girls don't want to see your history lesson of London. They want to go shopping." She said while looping her arm through Jaime's and beckoning me to follow her. Kye looked astounded at the fact we were leaving him, and stood there with his jaw open until Darce took him firmly by the shoulder and pointed him in the direction of the Bingle's home.

The shops were amazing. I had never seen so much color and style. Jaime was just as awed as I was. I spotted a sports store, and with a brief farwell and a wait for me, I was off towards it.

The racks were full of running shoes, that I had never seen before, and the running attire was obviously designed with England's constant rain in mind. As I was browsing, a deep voice greeted me.

I turned around to see a tall guy with thick blonde hair that was secured in a pony tail at the nape of his neck, and severe blue eyes that crinkled in merriment when he saw that I had responded to his greeting.

"Hello." I returned.

"American, eh?" he winked and nodded towards the rack of running shorts I was looking at.

"Runner? What are you doing in London?" he asked his voice warm.

"Um, yeah. I'm here on winter break with my sister and a family native to this city." I replied.

"Oh? Who, maybe I know the family."

"The Bingles."

"Ah, yes. Charming lady that Wilhemina Bingle. I had heard that had gone to the states, for the term. Tell me how is Bingle?"

"He's good I suppose." I shrugged.

"Always good to hear. Well, do you have a name?"

"Er, yeah. Liz. How about you, mystery boy?"

"Wickham. Charlie Wickham." He grinned and stuck out his large hand. I shook it firmly and was surprised to find a piece of paper when I let go.

"That," he said with another wink, "is the name of a club that I will be at tonite. It also has my cell number on it. I hope to see you there." And with that he was gone.

I stumbled blindly back to where Jaime and Ellie were sitting, drinking lemonade and they looked at my dumb struck face.

"What?" they both asked at the same time. I shoved the card towards Jaime, and Jaime squeled.

"A British guy, Liz! We have got to go to this club tonight" she looked over at Ellie to see if we could and Ellie(for the first time I had ever seen) grinned.

"Of course."

Every child is spoiled to some extent by their parents. Ellie was definitely not the exception to this widely known fact. All it took to convince her mother to let us go to the club was a bat of her eyes and a promise that we wouldn't wander too far from the guys. Her mother just patted her on the head and told her she was a dear girl that her heart couldn't live without and to be careful.

When she came to the corner where we were hiding listening to the conversation, she grinned mischievously. "Done." She whispered.

Our plans confirmed, Jaime and I went upstairs to get ready. I couldn't believe the luck I was having. London was a great place in my eyes now.

At half past 7, that night, we all meet in the foyer to wait for the car. Jaime and Kye stood next to each other whispering softly, and holding hands. Ellie was on her cell phone talking really quickly to some girl friend of hers. You couldn't tell she was excited. Darce felt it was his right to stand next to me. Great.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "You look great this evening." And then straightened back up as if nothing had happened. I felt my face get hot with a blush that I was sure was covering my checks.

The car finally came and we all piled in. In a matter of minutes we were at the club that Charles Wickham had told me he was going to be at.

The music was loud and techno-y and you couldn't help but move to it. I craned my head looking for Charlie, and was not disappointed when I found him. His blonde hair had been pulled up in some sort of hair do that I was sure only he could pull off, and he wore a sleeveless black shirt which showed off the glory of his biceps.

He saw me then and waved over at me and the Bingles. When he finally made his way over to us, the music had stopped and a guy came on the speakers telling us to visit the bar.

"Hello, my American girl." Charlie greeted me with a smile.

"Well, if it isn't Charlie Wickham." A cold voice said from behind me. I turned to see Darce glaring at Wickham.

"Darce! How have ya been, mate?" Wickham responding pulling me closer to his side. This only made Darce glare more.

"Indeed." He muttered and stormed away. I looked at Wickham, confused. He just smiled down at me and gestured towards the dance floor. "Shall we?"

I nodded and he led me out to the crowded floor. I spotted Jaime dancing with Kye. She was laughing, her head thrown back as Kye spun her around. I sighed in contentment.

We danced for a while and then I begged off, needing both a break and water. And information.

When we made our way to the bar, I grabbed Wickham's arm and pointed out the door to a small patio that was adjoined to the club, he nodded and grabbed two waters.

We sat at a little metal table that felt amazing on my too hot skin. Wickham grinned at me.

"So, American girl, are you having a good time in London?" he took a swig of his water and then looked at me expectantly.

"Yeah. I'm having a great time… the Bingles are great for taking me and my sister along with them, and their good friend Noah Darce."

Wickham's face darkened for a minute before returning to its normal smile. "Ah, the illustrious Noah Darce. Charmer, idn't he?" He winked at me wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"Would you believe I used to live with the fellow?"

"No?!"

"Yes, yes it's true. His dad took me in when my mum died and we was like brothers, believe it or not. He has a sister, did you know that? Fine girl, she is. But, when old man Darce died, he left me a considerable amount of money. Darce refused to give me that money and then turned me out on the street. I work at a pub now, and live above it." He turned to me and grinned. "But I do alright."

"Wait…Darce, _refused_ to give you your inheritance? Harsh. Why would he do something like that?"

"Well, the truth is, well…Old Man Darce liked me better and Darce's pride got hurt by it, so he hurt me. That's all there is to it really." He grinned at me again.

"What about you, though. How'd you get tangled up with the infamous Bingle's and therefore Darce?" he asked taking another swig of his water.

"They moved in next door to us at the beginning of the school year and Kye took to my sister rather quickly. Darce was there with them. I suppose Kye talked his mother into letting us come with him and his family to London. That's all I got." I shrugged, trying to get his arm off of me in the process. He just tightened his grip.

"Come on. Let's go inside. It's getting chilly out here." I finally said after a few minutes.

"Sure American girl."

A few days later, when things had finally calmed down at the Bingle's and all the sightseeing we had to do, I told Jaime all the Wickham had told me.

"Sheesh. How could Darce be so mean?" she asked while brushing out her hair.

I shrugged and then went back to writing a letter to mom. We would be leaving the day after tomorrow, but I still wanted to send mom a post card so she could show all her friends.

A knock came at our door and Kye poked his head in. "A minute?" he asked to me. I nodded and followed him out into the hallway.

"I…I want to thank you for coming with us to London. It was my families pleasure to house you and your sister. However, I…er….regret to inform you that my family and I won't be coming back to America for the next semester." He muttered looking at the floor.

"What? But, Kye…"

He held up his hand. "You are leaving tomorrow morning, so I suggest you get some sleep." And with that he turned down the hallway and walked away.

I couldn't believe it. Not coming back? How could he stand to stay away from my sister? He loved her. I was certain that he was going to propose to her as soon as the school year ended. That's just the kind of guy he was. Why the sudden change?

I walked slowly into our room and pulled out my suit case, filling it with all of my clothes. Jaime saw me and smiled.

"Kye told you that we were leaving tomorrow? I'm already packed. I'm a little sad that we're leaving sooner than we expected, but this was fun." She turned back to the mirror.

"Didn't Kye tell you the other part?" I asked.

"What other part?"

"They aren't coming back next semester. We're going back alone."

Her brush fell from her hands. "No, he hadn't told me that." She said picking her brush up quickly and stoking her hair as if I hadn't told her that the love of her life would not be returning with us.

Kye and the Bingles didn't even see us off. We were escorted to the airport by their driver and left to our own ends.

I was outraged at the lot of them. As I sat stewing a familiar voice called out to me. I looked up to see Charlie Wickham with a large duffle thrown over his shoulder bounding towards us with that widest grin on his smooth face.

"Hey American girl!" he smiled.

"Wickham! Where are you headed?" I asked sweetly.

"I'm actually going to stay with some American friends of mine. They actually live in your neighborhood, wouldn't you know it?" he smiled and sat down next to us. Somehow, I was sure that he didn't have any friends who lived near us, but at the moment I didn't care. He was coming to see me in America. I had no idea how he had gotten that information and a little voice in the back of my head told me that I should be wary, but I didn't care. I had a guy who was rooting for me.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Ok, Surprise!!!!!!!!!!! I know I said I couldn't update till August, but I had an opportunity to get internet access at a friend's house on my laptop so I went ahead and gave you guys a little chapter to make the wait till August seem lesser. I don't own Pride and Prejudice. That was the wonderful Jane Austen. OH, and I also want to point out in my last chapter, I called Alex, Liz. I reread P&P to get some more ideas for the story and forgot I had named her Alexandria. My bad. Sorry if it confused anyone.

I rested my head on the glass of the window. The snow and frost and ice was just starting to melt. More proof that the winter was finally retreating. I heard faintly, my mother calling me downstairs. I walked down the hallway quietly past my sister's room. The door was closed but I could still hear the soft sobs through her door.

Mom was waiting on the edge of the stairs for me. Her hands were on her heavy set hips and she was frowning. Never a good sign. "And where is your sister?" she asked tensely. I shrugged. I had several sisters.

"Which one?" I asked, still tromping down the stairs. My mother threw her hands up. "My house is a wreck! I can't find my own children, my other daughter's holding up in her room, the result of a broken heart, which YOU still can't explain!" she turned and stomped into her laundry room, still muttering.

I sighed, running my hand through my hair, and continued the last few steps down the stairs. It had been a long few months. We had been home and it was now almost April. Graduation loomed in the air for Jaime, but she didn't seem to notice. Ever since we had gotten home and I had said my good byes to Wickham, we had ridden home with our father in silence. Jaime had finally acknowledged the fact that Kye was not coming back.

She had drawn in on herself, and had no idea that she was even still here. My mother had tried in vain to set her up with the sons of the women in her bridge circle. But Jaime had refused to even leave the house. Wickham had come over to my house to visit. He was, in fact, staying with a friend, in the next town over. He had called my cell phone and asked for directions to my house, and I was all too happy to invite him over. However, after a few visits from him, I found out that he wasn't any company that I wanted. He was conceited and arrogant. He thought he was God's gift to women, no, to all of humanity.

Katie, on the other hand, worshipped him. She hung onto his every word and of course he ate it up. After a few weeks, he stopped coming to see me, and came to see Katie instead. I had cornered him and warned him to stay away from my sister. He was too old for her. He laughed at me and then waved me off. "How old do you think I am, American girl?" he asked. I had shrugged and he ruffled my hair and told me he was only seventeen. I wasn't sure about the laws in London, but it seemed like he was too young for his pub story. Shouldn't he have been in school? But whatever, I couldn't keep the creepster away, and my mother had little problems with it. My father was rarely home anymore. He had acquired a murder case and it was keeping him from home a lot lately.

Bingle had not written, and I had heard nothing from Darce either. School had gone on as usual. I had finally gotten a job, and Jaime had lost hers. Detachment wasn't really a good thing for an employee at a grocery store to have. Maria and Liza had formed into their own clique. Katie continued to see Wickham.

I brought my mind back to the present when I heard a loud thud and my mom cursing everything under the sun. I chuckled softly, and went to stand out on the porch. The air was still chill, but it wasn't as bad as it had been. I looked over to the empty porch next door and found myself thinking of Darce. I hadn't said anything to him before we had left. The last thing he had said to me was that I looked nice.

My mother was calling me again, and I reluctantly went inside. "Yeah mom." She peered her head around the corner.

"Seriously, have you seen Katie?" she asked me, her eyes filling with worry.

"I have no idea." I said softly, though in my heart, I knew exactly where she was. This could only end badly.

She shook her head muttering something about irresponsible sisters.

More months passed, still no word from Kye or any of the Bingles. Charly, my best friend and running partner, along with my sister, and ironically enough Collins graduated in June and I became a senior.

The summer passed by quickly. Jaime got accepted to NYU, which was a four to five hour drive from our house, and Charly and Collins got engaged. This last bit of news was shocking to me. I had no idea that Charly would rush into something so monumental, but she was blissfully happy and Collins was finally leaving me alone now that he had her. They had both gotten into NYU too and I was left at home with my three little sisters.

It was the fall, and my senior year was starting. Maria was becoming a sophomore and Liza and Katie were coming into high school. Freshmen. (Katie had barely made the cutoff date). Things were progressing normally. The only hint of the Bingle's ever having been here was the ever present Wickham and Jaime's mopping, which she was hiding better now that she was at college. But, I knew her too well. I saw right through the act.

Katie became more and more absent, now that she was a high schooler, she claimed she had all these clubs she was in. I suspected she wasn't doing any clubs at all, but as my mother was blind, I couldn't convince her otherwise. Maria and Liza actually started getting along better when Katie began to abandon Liza and I had found my own little niche.

On one really boring day in September, I got an email from Charly. She was inviting me down to Collins parents house for their engagement party. Apparently, Collin's family was loaded and they had moved into some huge fancy lake house after Collins had graduated. I missed my running partner so I immediately agreed.

The next weekend I found myself standing in an elaborately decorated lawn area, holding a sweating glass of lemonade and making small talk with Collin's mother. She was a nice enough woman and it made me a little sad knowing that she knew that I had turned down her son, yet she was being extremely nice to me. Charly came over and grabbed my arm as I was stopping a waiter to grab another cream puff.

"You have got to me Aunt Catherine." She whispered in my ear. "She's giving me and Collin's a house when we get married." I stared at her dumbly for a minute. "Oh." Was all I could say as she pulled me towards one of the most intimidating women I had ever seen. She had huge grey hair and tight lips. The lines on her face proved that she frowned too much and the look in her cold blue eyes made you feel as if your soul was barred for her to see and immediately judge you.

Collins was by her side and she was nodding every now and again, acknowledging that he was speaking, but still not paying attention. Then her eyes found mine, as Charly and I made our way over to her.

"Hello." I said shyly as Collins introduced me. I stuck my hand out and she stared at it as if it were an unsightly growth on my arm. I lowered my arm, clearing my throat in an embarrassed way. She nodded at me, then turned her head towards someone I could not see. Her face turned into a frightening smile. I turned to see who was advancing towards us and was floored when I saw none other than Noah Darce coming our way.

Aunt Catherine smiled up at him and said in an unmistakable British accent, "Darce, my boy. What took you so long in coming to see your auntie Catherine?"

Auntie Catherine? You can't be serious. Collins was related to Darce? WTF.

"Ms. Collins. You look marvelous this evening." Darce said taking her hand and kissing it in an 18th century manner. Catherine waved him off and turned to Collins.

"You know Collins. Darce and my dear daughter Annie have been good friends for many years. I shouldn't be surprised if you don't meet again at another engagement party for himself in a very short time." Aunt Catherine said beeming at this boy, who I realized was just a childhood friend's mother. Then her words registered. Another engagement party? For Darce? There was just no way.

Darce turned to me then as Aunt Catherine walked off, Collins and Charly following her like faithful puppy dogs. "Hello again, Alex." He smiled at me, warmly. I of course, had nothing to say. I stood there like an idiot and just nodded, sipping my lemonade.

Another man, about three years older than my 18 years, came up besides Darce and patted him on the back in a manly style. "See you found yerself another girl, eh?" the man winked at me. He looked like a nice guy, with plain brown hair and a round smiling face, with green eyes. He was shorter than Darce, but still taller than me.

"Fitz. This is Alexandria Benne. She's a girl I went to high school with when I came over here to see what all the huff was about. Alex, this is Fitz." Darce said, giving Fitz a look that I couldn't quite make out.

"Lovely to meet you darling." Fitz stuck his chubby hand out and I shook it. He had a strong grip. Something called Darce's attention then and he excused himself leaving me with Fitz. Fitz chuckled slightly at Darce's retreating figure.

"Not find a gent like him in a million years, that's for sure." He said, a strong cockney accent taking over his speech. "Nor a truer friend. He recently saved his best man when he was about to go in over his head with a girl. Talked about marrying her. Some American girl."

I hadn't really been paying attention to him before, but at the mention of what I was sure to be Jaime, I snapped to. "American girl?"

"Yeah, some girl he met over here. Maybe you know her…anyway, she just wasn't right for him or something." Fitz took a swig of what I assumed was something alcoholic and then looked around. "Scuse me darling." He said, turning off in search of more alcohol probably.

So, the reason we had left London, and the reason that they hadn't come back wasn't because of Mrs. Bingle, but Darce. I was so mad, I could spit. Instead, I ran.

I don't know how long I ran, only that it had started raining when I reached a small gazebo in the middle of the Collin's expansive back yard, which was more like its own country to be honest. It was that big. I was sure that the party would be moved inside by now. No one was going to come looking for me and I would have to find my own way back, but I wanted to be alone. The fates were against me.

I heard a twig snap and looked up into the eyes of Noah Darce. He looked different somehow, more exposed, and like he was having a hard time formulating words.

"I…I only came to see you. I had to see you." He began. I had no idea what was going on, so I just stood there, not speaking, not moving. He walked towards me a bit.

"I…well, I needed to talk to you. I needed to see you." He repeated. Get on with it Darce…

"There, well….shit….excuse my language. I don't really know how to say this."

"What…I don't underst…"

"I love you, Alexandria Benne."

"Come again?"

"I love you. You….well you're one of the most beautiful girls I have ever met. These past few months have been a torment to me, not being able to see you. It was against my better judgment to come here, but I had to see you. I know this is all really very sudden, but I can't be apart from you…"

"Darce…."

"Let me finish….I want to be with you forever. I've tried Alex. I've tried dating other girls, but all I can think about when I'm with them is you. I want to marry you, Alex. Alex, please say something."

"Darce, you are an arrogant bastard who broke my sister up from her one true love, because you didn't think they were right for each other. Now, you come to me, spewing confessions of love to me, and expect after what you did to my sister, that I would just jump in your arms and you would take me to London and we would get married, and what….What about my life? What about Jaime's?" Sore subject. "What about Charles Wickham'

That hit a nerve. He looked furious. "Yes, defend your precious Charles. I'm sure he's earned it." His eyes narrowed, and he looked away.

"What do you think, that…that….I would automatically forgive you for _everything you've done just because you said that you loved me?!"_ my own eyes narrowed.

He made a weird huffing noise and then turned back to me. "I am sorry, Alex, that my intentions are so _disgusting _to you. I won't bring them up again." With that he walked away leaving me standing there unaware of what had just transpired.

Since the engagement party was supposed to last long into the night(that's the kinda crazy parents Collins had), the guest who didn't live in New York where invited to stay in the enormous guest house. I of course was one of these people. I stayed in a room that overlooked the spacious back yard. The moonlight streamed into my window and splashed over the well taken care of grounds. I leaned my head against the window, wondering what the hell had happened today. Darce….well Darce had told me he loved me. Then…holy shit, my life was a Jane Austen novel, I swear. He had asked me to _marry _him. The thought of belonging to someone in that way. In, the way that I considered to be the last legal form of slavery, just blew my mind. I despised Darce. There was NO WAY that I would marry him.

A sharp rap came at my door and a maid stepped in holding a tray with an envelope on it. "Letter for you miss." She said, presenting the letter to me, and then bowing out. I looked at the little envelope, curious who would send me a letter in the middle of the night. When I opened it, I dropped it as if it were on fire. The letter was from Darce…


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Cliffhangers are annoying aren't they. Well, it took me a while to think what I wanted our wonderful Mr. Darce's letter to say. So, here it is. And then Alex's reaction to it. This is gonna be a short chapter, so sorry. 

Disclaimer: Don't own anything, except for a 95 Toyota, and that doesn't really count.

I picked the letter up, trying to make sense of the rolling scrawl on the paper. But, every time I tried to read it, my eyes blurred in disbelief. So, I calmed myself, by saying to myself "Screw it. I will read it in the morning."

That lasted till about 1 AM, then I just had to know what the letter was about. I finally got my hands to stop shaking. The letter before me read:

_Alex,_

_I realize that I didn't exactly come off right. I want to start by apologizing for my rudeness. My anger was not directed at you. It was directed at Wickham. In this letter, I will address the wrongs that have been put into light, and try to explain them to the best of my ability so that you may understand my actions. I will first address Wickham. When my father died, he did indeed leave him a substantial amount of money. All of which I did give to him. When he had spent it all in ways that I will not begin to convey in this letter, he came back to me, begging for more money. I knew that if I gave him more money, he would never be out of my hair, so I told him that I was rid of him. At a later date he came back to my house. He began to date my sister, Georgie. But, when it became clear that her inheritance would never go to him, even if they were eventually married, he disappeared again. I suppose I could have handled the situation a little more maturely, but you must understand the anger that was in me. The second thing I will address is that of your sister and Kye Bingle. I saw that he was ridiculously attracted to her, even to the point of love. But, it appeared she did not return the affection as strongly. I told him that if his heart was to remain intact, he must stay in London and send you two away. Some of that was also on my part. I could not stand the agony it put me through to have you there, despising me as you do. I had wished that with our distance, the feelings you had for me would have changed. However, it seems I have made a bigger mess of things than I intended to and therefore, pushed you further away. I will never see you again, unless you wish it. I am sorry for the pain and the confusion I have caused you._

_Yours, _

_Darce_

I read the letter twice. It seems…well. It seems like Darce was an entirely different guy than he painted himself to be. I found myself feeling remorse that I had shoved him away so quickly. But, wait…he had left. Probably because I was being a jerk. I sighed, putting my head in my hands. This was going to be a long night. My feelings and emotions were a tangled web that needed deeply to be sorted, and I didn't know if I would like the outcome.

A/N: told you it was gonna be short  


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hey guys. Hope you liked the last chapters. A BIG shout out to all my amazing readers that have stayed with this story. I hope to have it finished soon. Again thank you, and remember, more reviews yield more story, just saying :D

Disclaimer: I(rather sadly) don't own any of Pride and Prejudice. That belongs to the wonderful Jane Austen. Her stories will always live on.

In the morning, I said a brief good bye to Charly and Collins. He bowed his head slightly as if to let me know that all was well. Charly hugged me fiercely, and seemed really sad to see me go.

"Remember, the wedding will be in about six months. I want you to be there, and I want it to be after you graduate." She beamed as I nodded.

I waved at them as I walked out of the front door. As I waited for the valet to bring my car, I turned back towards the house and saw a corner of a curtain twitch, and saw Aunt Catherine glaring at me out of a second story window. Before I had time to wonder at this, my car was there.

The drive home took forever, and I was none too happy to see Wickham's truck in our driveway. I went inside and spotted Katie and him on the couch, curled up and watching a movie. I glared at them both and called for my mother. She called from the kitchen. This wasn't good. She sounded excited.

I stepped into the kitchen cautiously and saw Jaime and mom beaming at me from the kitchen table, a plethora of papers lying before them. I slowly sank into a chair on the other side of the table from them.

"What?" I asked, not quite sure what was going to be told me.

Jaime spoke up, and for the first time in a very long time she sounded blissful. "I'm going to study abroad in the spring. In London." She beamed. Oh dear, I would never hear the end of this from mom. How Jaime and Kye were going to get together again and get married and blah blah blah….. I could almost hear it now. But instead of rolling my eyes like I wanted to, I smiled back. "Good for you Jaime. That's awesome." She bounced slightly in her seat.

"And it will be a fresh start for her. I think this will truly be a good thing for her." My mom patted Jaime's shoulder and then smiled at me. I suppose she wanted reassurance.

I smiled at them and then went up to my room. It seemed to be the only sane place in the world. I still had no idea what I was going to do about the information that had just been thrust upon me by way of Darce. He had told me he loved me. Loved me…that sounded so wrong, especially coming from the one person I hated most. Or did I hate him? I had no clue any more. And I couldn't just let Wickham and Katie keep seeing each other. He would use her and then leave her. I couldn't let him hurt her.

I sat down on my bed and put my head in my hands. This was all just one big mess

The next day, as soon as I had pulled up to school, Katie pulled me aside.

"Alexandria. Don't be mad…I…I'm scared. I…I've been sneaking out with Charlie for a while now and ... I…" she started to cry.

"What…" I asked softly.

"I skipped my period."

My jaw dropped. I knew what that meant. It meant that my 14 year old…no she had just turned 15 a few months ago. She might be pregnant. Never had such fear struck me. I grabbed her arm roughly, blindly and pulled her out of the hallway and back towards the car.

"Where are we going?" she sobbed.

"We are going to mom." I said numbly.

"NO!" she sobbed harder into her small hands.

We pulled up to the house a few moments later and I drug my sister towards the house. My mother looked up from her dish sink, her elbows soaking with soap. "Wha…" she asked. I threw my sister in front of her and said pointedly. "Explain."

"Alex, what's going on?" mom asked looking from me to my sister. I pointed at her again. Katie started sobbing, but somehow through her tears, she told mom what she thought had happened.

My mother turned white, then pink, then red. "Where is that boy? I'll kill him." She rung her dish towel as if it was Wickham's neck.

I began to calm her down. "We need to deal with this logically." My mother nodded and then went to her bathroom. She came back out with a white incriminating box.

"Here." She handed the box to Katie. Katie looked at the pregnancy test in her hand, and then went into the bathroom.

"Well, she's about two months along. Not very far into the pregnancy. There are…other options." The doctor was looking over Katie's medical charts that confirmed the fears that we had. I had gone with mom and Katie to the doctors. Mainly for support. My mother looked peeved at the doctor. "Options?" she spat.

"Well yes, options like….abortion."

"Never."

"Or adoption. You won't have to deal with raising another child, Mrs. Benne."

Katie looked up at the doctor from her table. "I am keeping this baby, sir."

Mom and I both looked at her, unbelieving. "I want to keep her, mommy." She said in a small voice.

Mom nodded, holding her hand. My mother would deal with this, and Katie would not be alone.

I banged on Wickhams front door. He finally opened after about ten minutes. "Hey American girl." He grinned. That grin quickly turned when he saw my expression.

"What…"

"If you think you can impregnate a 15 year old girl, and then just walk away, you have another think coming mister!" I screamed at him.

He stood there taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"You….my sister is pregnant because of you! I don't know what kind of laws there are in England but in America, it is illegal to have sex with a minor when you are over the age of 18."

He shook his head again. "American girl. How old do you think I am? I am only 17. I dropped out of high school when I was young. So, technically. That was not illegal. And I thought if the subject was consenting…"

"You ass. You need to take responsibility for this!"

He shook his head wildly. "If you think that I am the only guy your sister's been with, you are sadly mistaken. It could have been any of her boyfrie…."

I punched him square in the mouth. Conceited asshole.

He fell to the ground holding his lip. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with you?! You got my sister pregnant dillweed!"

"I understand that…but why did you deck me?"

"Katie hasn't been with anyone but you since you came here. True she has had many boyfriends in the past, but she is a _child_. It wasn't until you got here that she probably even knew what sex was!"

"She didn't seem like a novice to me." He shrugged. I swung at him again, but this time he ducked and caught me by the knees, knocking me over.

"Easy, Alex. I will take responsibility for it…."

I sighed with relief.

"…when you can prove it's mine." He finished.

Lying, little leech. I knew that if he had the chance he would run. But I wouldn't let him run. I shoved him off of me in disgust and got back up.

"You will pay for this. If you so much as think of leaving the country, I will know, and I will have your ass arrested faster than you can say, London."

I turned a stomped off

Home was quiet when I got there. Mother had told dad about Katie and he had taken it rather well. I was surprised at how calm he was. Jaime had gone back to NYU, that evening and would be back in a few weeks for thanksgiving. Maria and Liza had gone to a movie in light of the 'news' being told to dad. Katie was in her room, so I went in.

"You talked to him, didn't you?" she asked, hearing me push the door open gently.

"Yes. I did." She shrugged at me and I went and sat on the bed next to her. She looked up from her pillows and placed a hand on her stomach.

"I'm going to have a baby, Alex. How did that happen?" tears streamed down her cheeks, as she closed her eyes. I patted her hand and smiled.

"I don't know Katie. You tell me."

"I never thought that I could get pregnant. I'm only 15 for crying out loud. It just felt right at the time…what me and Charlie did." She shook her head.

"Yeah, well. Not everything that feels right _is_ right."

She laughed without any humor behind it.

I waited for a few minutes, and when she didn't respond, I left her room closing the door quietly behind me.

I would figure out how to make this right. I mean, come on. If I didn't, who would?

___________________________________________________________________________

The months went by, and Katie grew bigger. She went to the doctor more often now that she was closer to her due date, which was sometime in late March. It was now January and I still hadn't seen heads or tails of Wickham. Rumors were that he _had _in fact gone back home to London. I didn't doubt them. He was probably running scared now. He knew that he was in deep trouble as it was, what with getting Katie pregnant and all, so he had left, simply avoiding anything and everything.

I came closer to graduation, my credit almost completed as required and I considered graduating early. Despite everything happening at home(or maybe because of it) Jaime had still gone to London for her spring semester and was talking of staying on for the summer, too. I couldn't blame her. More often than not, I found mom crying to herself and muttering something about failure. Liza and Maria stayed away as often as possible, and I just stayed where I was needed.

It was planned that as soon as I did graduate(which probably was going to be in and around the time that Katie had her baby), I would go to London. Charly had put off her wedding till that next September. Apparently her mother had talked her out of getting married so soon. That worked out for me just fine. I needed to go to London. There was someone that I wanted to find. I had a lot to clear up. And not just with Wickham, either.

I kept my mind as distracted as possible. I couldn't help but think that maybe, if I didn't focus on what was happening at home, that it would all just disappear into the background of reality.

One day in the middle of February, Katie knocked on my door. I was home by myself with her. Mom and Maria and Liza had gone out shopping for some things for Katie's baby and I was supposed to be at work. But I had called in sick. In truth I felt sick, so it wasn't a far cry from the truth. Opening my door to Katie however, made my heart leap into my throat. She looked pale and in pain, clutching her stomach.

"Katie?!"

"I…." she swallowed hard and winced. "I think my water broke." She began to sob as what I now knew to be contractions pulsed through her body.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey guys…Whoo. What an exciting yet rushed chapter..I wanted to get the story moving a little..it'll slow down a smidge now…We are getting close to the end…Thanks again to all that continue to follow this story and I'm sorry for springing like 9ish months on you in one chapter..It'll get better I promise 

Disclaimer:Don't own it….just wish I did. Thanks Jane Austen.

I almost fainted at the sight of her in so much pain. She was my baby sister for pete's sake! I grabbed my purse off of my desk and then slowly herded her into the van that we all shared. My cell phone was in my hand as I went back into the house to find the baby bag. That's what we called the clothes and stuff that Katie would take to the hospital when…well when this happened. I punched in my mother's number almost violently as I looked for the stupid keys. I told Maria to leave them on the hook. Why did no one ever listen to me?

"Hello?" my mother's cheery voice answered after one too many annoying rings.

"Mom!!! Katie's in labor. I'm taking her to the hospital right now. Just meet me there!" I responded somewhat breathlessly, finally finding the God forsaken keys. Before my mother could respond, I had slammed my phone shut. I'm sure that was awesome for it. I'd probably have to buy a new one after all of today's abuse.

I ran to the van, and then ran back to the house, locking the door. Katie looked out at me through the windshield, a permanent grimace on her too young for this features.

"I'm coming! Hold on!" I yelled. I jumped in the van, buckling myself and backing out at the same time. Katie stared at me in horror as I wove in and out of traffic, trying to find the shortest way to the hospital.

It was as if the town was against me. I hit every red light and felt worse with every agonized scream from my younger sister's mouth. Finally, we arrived at the hospital and I rushed into the ER. The receptionist at the front desk looked bored as she looked up at me.

"May I help you?" she asked in a nasally voice that grated on my nerves. "My sister is in labor, she's out in the car. I don't know if I can move her yet…" the receptionist held her hand up.

"How long has she been having contractions?" she asked.

"I don't know. Her water broke. Isn't that a pretty big factor telling you that the baby's on the way?!" I asked infuriated at this woman who obviously had no idea that pain my sister was in. Hell, she looked like she couldn't even get a date. The receptionist picked up the phone and talked into it quietly for a minute, then hung it up and looked at me.

"There will be a wheel chair sent out to your vehicle shortly, from there we will get her a waiting room and have a doctor determine if she is ready to give birth or not."

I opened my mouth to respond, but at that moment my mother, having arrived, placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you so much." She said for me, squeezing my shoulder. How could she be so calm?!

"Mom! I'm so glad that you're here..I don't know…she just came to me in pain…and…" I choked on a stressed out sob. She smiled at me gently.

"It'll be ok Alex. Trust me, I've had plenty of experience."

I looked at the usually fruity woman who was my mother with awe. She was so calm and reassured. Meanwhile, Katie was sitting in my vain, dying of pain. I heard a scream of pain and turned to look towards the front doors. My father was rolling my sister in with an orderly behind him looking none too happy that my father was performing his duty.

"Oh, Mr. Benne!" my mother cried starting towards my father. "Can you believe we're going to be grandparents!?" there was the mother I knew and loved.

They had admitted Katie to a room, and it was determined that she was in labor, but not to the point of actually popping the kid out. She wasn't due for a few weeks, so the doctors were going to keep her there, and see how things worked out. It had been several hours now and my father and I were sitting in the waiting room. The room was too bright, meant to cheer people who were less than happy about being stuck in a hospital waiting room. The TV was stuck on CNN and I entertained myself for a while by watching reports about Russia's economic crisis.

"You know, this is mostly my fault." I was shaken to awareness as the voice of my father penetrated my boredom.

"What? How is this your fault?"

"Well, I'm not really ever there for you girls, and well you know your mother. I should have stopped Katie from seeing that British guy." He ran a hand through his balding hair. "I should have been there. But Alex, I didn't think I needed to be. You and Jamie are such good girls. I guess I assumed that Katie and Maria, and Liza would just follow your example."

"Dad. You really shouldn't blame yourself. You didn't impregnate her."

He gave a short humorless laugh. "This isn't right. She's too young to have a child. And that Wickham character has fled the country. Katie needs someone right now." He looked over at me fondly. "Good thing she has you." He ruffled my already messy hair and kissed my forehead, before getting up in search of a coffee machine.

I felt horrible. I had planned and still planned to leave as soon as Katie had her baby. I sat in silent dejection. I knew my father wasn't good at this sort of thing. Emotions and what not. But, he had spoken his mind to me and I couldn't help but feel a mixture of gratefulness and shame.

Then it hit me. I knew why I was going to London. I had to find Wickham. Had to make this right. Katie's baby would have a father. Maybe not the best one, but still.

What seemed like an eternity later, my mother walked out looking exhausted, yet smiling. My father and I looked up at her and she nodded.

"It's a girl. Rae Marie….Rae Marie Benne." She said the girl's last name with pride. She turned and gestured we should follow her to Katie's room.

When I got there I had to restrain a sob. Katie looked so tired and so small holding a bundle of pink blankets. She looked up and smiled, turning the blanket of pink towards us. A tiny face peeked out, with astonishingly blue eyes and a wisp of blonde curls. She was beautiful.

"Are you sure you have everything?" my mother asked for the fiftieth time. I sighed and pulled out the elaborate list she had made me.

"Clothing for every weather situation; check. Toothbrush; check. Passport; check. Money; check. Pictures of Rae for Jaime; check." I recited again. I was leaving for London that morning. Katie had come home the night before and was all settled into her new position of motherhood. The school had been treating it like an illness absence, sending all her homework home for her. Obviously, I took the early graduation. I had to do this one thing for my sister. Even if she was irresponsible. I still loved her.

My mother gave me one of those looks and I grinned. "I will be fine, mom. Jaime will be at the airport to pick me up and she has an apartment. We will be fine. I'll call you when we get there." I ducked my head, as my mother tried to ruffle my hair. When would my parents stop doing that?

My mother sighed and shook her head. "I suppose everything will be fine here. Maria and Liza can help with Rae. Your father is taking a leave from his law firm." She shook her head again, placing her hands on her generous hips. She looked up at me suddenly.

"Be good Alexandria. I don't want to have to spring you out of a British prison." I didn't know if she was kidding or if she had an inkling of what I was up to, but either way, I played off a grin and shrugged. "You know me."

I picked up my luggage and started walking towards the van, my mother following. The ride to the airport was painfully silent. I didn't know what my mother expected me to say, if she expected me to say anything at all. But sooner than later, we arrived at the airport and I was on a plane.

The relief was instantaneous when I saw Jaime. She looked radiant; happier than I'd seen her since Kye unexpectedly sent us home, thereby rejecting my sister.

She ran towards me, beaming. "Alex!" We embraced and I pulled back, still holding her at arm's length. "You look like you could use some sun." I joked. She was naturally pale and the usually rainy weather of London didn't help. She waved me off and picked up my luggage. "Come on. I want to show you my flat." I had no choice but to follow her through the crowded airport.

"This is it!" Jaime exclaimed, throwing the doors open to a tiny apartment. The kitchen looked like it connected with the living room and there was a tiny hallway with three doors. The carpet was an olive green and the walls an off-white. All-in-all, its only flaw was the obvious lack of space. No way to have a party in here.

The three doors turned out to be two bedrooms and a bathroom. One of the bedrooms looked like it had been used as an office area, as there was a desk shoved up against a wall, and a roll away bed placed on the other side of the room. I stifled a laugh.

"This is your room." Jaime bit her lip and looked over at me, then broke out into laughter. "I know what you're thinking."

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you now?" I asked, trying my best to be serious before bursting into a fit of giggles, myself. I had missed my sister more than I thought.

She placed my luggage on top of the bed and turned to leave the room. "I hope that you like it here, Alex." Her smile faltered a little as she said this. Before I could question it, she had left.

I turned to survey the tiny room that I would be spending my summer in. In addition to the tiny bed in the corner, there was of course the desk, adorned with a lamp and a small computer. The walls had pictures of random scenes of nature. I turned around to face the bed again, and stopped short as I saw one picture that made me stifle a sob. It was a picture of Jaime, me, and all our sisters. We were linked together by our arms, a smile on every one of our faces. This had been taken several years ago when mom was going through a phase where she thought that photography was her thing. It was in black and white and Jaime had enlarged it to fill a rather large picture frame. I ran my fingers over the glass, smiling to myself. Everything had been so much simpler then. Katie hadn't had a child. Jaime hadn't had her heart broken by Kye Bingle, and my own heart wasn't lined with confusion brought on by a certain individual….

Turning away from the picture, I left the room and headed towards the tiny kitchen area where Jaime was making some tea. The smile that she had on when I first arrived was gone, leaving a few lines of sadness of her flawless face. She stirred her cup now, not aware that I was watching. I quietly turned and went back to my room. I needed to find Bingle as well. My sister's needed me, and I seemed to be their only hope of having hope and a small semblance of stability.

The next morning, Jaime woke me with an excited look on her face.

"Ok. So, I have some classes I have to go to today, but I'll be back by 5. Then I can take you out and show you the night life!" she beamed at me, pulling back the covers. I groaned and rolled over. Jet lag was a jerk. She continued to move about the tiny room, opening the curtains and letting sunlight stream in onto my face. She was still chattering about all the things we were going to do this summer, all the people I was going to meet, when I stopped her.

"Jaime. Have you tried to contact Kye at all?" I asked. Her hand stopped in mid-motion and she turned towards me, her mouth a hard line.

"He's gone out of town for a while. Ellie told me she didn't know when he would be back, but she'd be sure to tell him I was in London." She turned back around and left the room promptly. Ok, so maybe that wasn't the best way to go about this, but it was obvious to me that someone was getting duped.

I followed her retreating form into the kitchen, and watched her for a minute.

"Jaime. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." I muttered

"No harm done. It's cool. I'm completely over him any way. A silly high school crush. Ellie's doing well, in case you were wondering." Her smile returned and she held out a bowl full of oatmeal. "Here, you'll need this. There is stuff for sandwiches in the fridge. See ya later, sis. Love ya." She turned and left the small apartment. This was more than I had been hoping for. I took the oatmeal that was in my hand and walked back to my room, shoving it mouthful by mouthful in my mouth. I had a plan with what to do with my day. And it did not involve staying here.

"So, you take a left up ahead there and you should find your way to the pub that Wickham's at."

I was in the middle of a London street near where I vaguely remembered the club to be. I had asked a local about where to find Wickham and was surprised at how well known he was around here. I thanked the gentleman and followed his directions, quickly finding the pub that Wickham had told me about.

I went inside, hoping that he was in here, no praying that he was in here. And that's when I heard the familiar voice of that rotten traitor. He was at the bar, talking to a shady looking guy and cleaning a glass.

"Wickham." I called. He turned to look in my direction, a businessman's smile plastered on his face .When he recognized me, he paled instantly. He muttered something to the guy at the counter and turned and went into the back. Slimeball. I wasn't about to let him get away. I climbed over the bar and walked right into the kitchen area where I found Wickham downing a shot. He made a small whimpering noise when he saw that I had followed him.

"What do you want from me American girl?" he asked after a while of staring my angry looking face down.

"You know why I'm here, Charles Wickham." I pulled out the picture of Rae out of my purse and held it up. "Meet your daughter." He gasped and slowly took the picture of the tiny girl out of my hands. He looked at his daughter for a while, tracing her blonde curls and her blue eyes. He looked back up at me, some tears visible in his own blue eyes. It was undeniable that this tiny baby girl was his child.

"I'm sure the father is very proud." He finally said, handing me the picture back. I slapped him then. "You bastard. You are the father. It is obvious in her eyes."

He looked at me, his voice faltering. "I…I told you Alexandria. Unless you can prove she's mine; she's not." He walked pushed past me back out towards the bar. I grabbed his arm and turned him to face me. "Wickham, think of Katie, hell, think of Rae. She needs a father and Katie, though she's too young for one needs a husband…or at least someone to help her raise this child. She is yours. You can't keep denying that. Please, Wickham." I hated how pleading my voice sounded at that point. He pulled out of my grasp and frowned. "It's not really my problem." And he walked back into the front of the pub.

I could not believe him. Just could not believe him at all. How he could stand here, look at Rae's picture and tell me he honestly believed he wasn't that baby's father. There was no justice in the world.

I finally went back through the door towards the pub and Wickham pointed towards the way out of the bar area. I wasn't surprised to find out it was not by jumping over the bar itself. I stormed through the doors of the pub and walked out onto the London streets. I was blinded by fury, and not really paying attention to where I was going. The rain stinging my face didn't help much either. I hoped I was going in the right direction to get back to Jaime's flat, but at this point, I just really didn't care. I would make him see that Rae was his daughter and that he held responsibilities to my niece.

At that moment, I ran into something sturdy. Well, someone sturdy I should say. That someone caught me before I fell to the ground from the force of the impact. I looked up and almost fell over again. It was none other than Noah Darce.

He smiled at me and gently let go of me. "Hello, Alex. How are you?" he asked softly. I just stared at him. I was not ready for this meeting. I still hadn't worked out in my head how I felt about this man who I had despised. "It's quite a surprise to see you in London." He continued. I finally collected myself enough to speak. "Yeah…I'm…I'm visiting Jaime. She's here for her study abroad program."

"Are…are you having a good trip then?"

"Yeah…I just got here though so…"

Holy crap this was awkward.

"Can I walk you back to your sister's?" he asked, still in that annoyingly gently voice.

No…no. I can manage." He nodded and began to walk away. He turned at the last minute though. "It's nice to see you again Alex." And then he was gone. I stumbled back to my sister's apartment and let myself in. I was still in shock from the rejection of Wickham, and from seeing Darce…..this was going to be a long summer if this kept up.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Pride and Prejudice….that'd be Jane Austen

A/N: I know, I know….you want more and you want it now…Believe you me, I wish it would flow from my finger tips…but alas things don't always work the way we want them. Here's another chapter…almost there : )

Jaime got home a little after five and found me sitting on her couch lost in deep thought. She tried to snap me out of it by waving her thin hands in front of me. It wasn't until she dropped her books on the floor next to me that I woke up. I turned towards her slowly and smiled. "Have a good day?" she asked me, with her own bemused smile. I nodded and then stood, stretching.

"What's with the zombie act?" she asked.

"Oh, I've just been thinking about some things, is all." She didn't seem happy with my answer, but thankfully let it go for the moment. She turned and went in the kitchen and I followed her.

"So. How was your day?" I asked, only half expecting an answer. Jaime smiled and then began to talk animatedly about this guy she had meet in her philosophy class and how she had a date tonight. She stopped then and looked at me.

"You don't mind going out tonight, do you? I asked if he had a friend for you, and he said he'd bring one along." She looked at me, dreading my no. I smiled.

"Yeah, Jaime. I'd love to go out on the town. When do we leave?" I asked, mustering up some enthusiasm. She bit her lip and glanced down at her watch.

"Urm….in a half hour." She shrugged guiltily. I jumped off the counter I had been sitting on and grinned. "That doesn't leave me much time to get ready for my blind date." She smiled gratefully at me and I practically ran down the hallway, and shut myself in the bathroom. I started the shower and groaned mentally. Going out on the town was the last thing I wanted to do tonight. I didn't want to run the chance of running into Darce or worse Wickham. But, my sister was trying her best to move on from Kye Bingle so I would play the dutiful sister and go out with her.

I was ready within 20 minutes. I found Jaime sitting on the couch looking at a photo. She had a sad, wistful look on her face and I knew instantly who that was a photo of. I cleared my throat and she jumped, hastily shoving the picture under a pillow. She smiled at me and then whistled low.

"Sis, you clean up good." She laughed. Jaime was trying so hard, it almost hurt to watch. I felt my face go into a frown.

"What?" she asked. I glanced down at the pillow.

"Alex…I…well it's not what you think. I have moved on. I don't have any feelings for Kye Bingle anymore…I just was looking at a picture of us, thinking what a good friend he was." She muttered. I didn't believe that for a second. I opened my mouth to respond, but there was a knock at the door. Jaime jumped up like she had been shocked and plastered a breathtaking smile on her face. "That must be him." She opened the door and beamed at the tall blonde guy waiting behind it. I gasped. This guy looked a lot like Kye, but at the same time I could tell he was nothing like him. Sure, he looked like he was a nice guy, but I could see what my sister was doing and I almost cried out in pain.

I stood up and walked to the door to greet the new guest and almost fell over. The friend he had brought was Noah Darce.

Darce looked just as surprised as I did. He recovered first.

"Alex." He nodded his head slightly in my direction. Jaime smiled. "Hey, Noah. I didn't know you knew Mark."

Darce looked embarrassed. "We went to school together." He muttered looking down. Mark had the sense of mind to interrupt our pleasant exchange.

"You ladies ready to go then?" he asked clasping his hands together. Jaime nodded and then grabbed her coat from the hook. I followed suite and we both walked out the door after the guys.

As we walked down the street, the guys leading, Jaime pulled on my arm and started to trail behind. "I am so sorry that Noah Darce is the set up." She whispered to me, a worried look crossing her face.

I shook my head a little. "Jaime, don't be sorry. I……"

"You ladies coming, then?" Mark interrupted whatever I had been about to say. I was grateful to him in a way. I had no idea how I felt about Noah Darce. Jaime smiled and nodded, pulling me along with her to walk with Mark and Darce.

We got to the London club and Mark and Jaime immediately went off to the dance floor. Darce glanced towards me, looking unsure. I had no idea what to say. This was almost more awkward than our meeting in the street earlier today.

He broke the silence first. "How are you?"

"Good."

He nodded. "I see that Jaime is doing better."

"She's a very good actress." I threw at him with a glare. I hoped he could infer the meaning.

He just nodded and said, "And your other sisters? How are they?"

"They're good. Katie's just had a baby. Rae Benne. She's beautiful."

A pained look crossed his face. "Alex. I should have exposed him. You deserved to know how he was…" He stopped, short searching my face for any signs that I was upset.

"What could you have done, Darce? Katie's her own person. Do you think she would have listened?" I shrugged. His dark eyes grew sad.

"I should've stopped it." He muttered.

"Darce. I…."

"Alex! Come dance with me!" Jaime came bouncing along, bumping into me and leaving whatever I had been about to say hanging in the air. I had no choice in the matter…she pulled me out on the dance floor. I caught a fleeting glance at Darce's face before, though. Before he could compose it, I saw a trace of agony.

We finally left the club. Thankfully we went in opposite directions, each taking a different cab. Jaime and I rode back to her apartment in silence, each lost in our own thoughts.

When we finally made it back home and I just couldn't stand it.

"Jaime. Have you even talked to Kye while you've been here?" I asked.

"No."

I gave her a look that would make a lesser woman cry. "I mean. I tried. I really did. His sister just said he's not home, or that he's gone out of town for a while…" she flopped onto her couch, putting her head in her hands. " She said she'd tell him that I was there…" she sounded so defeated.

I went over to the couch and gathered her into my arms. She sobbed into my shoulder for a while, before finally sitting up and looking at me. "Alex. I don't know what to do. I've tried so hard to move on….but. I can't think of anyone else." She sniffled and glanced at her watch. "I need to go to bed…I have classes tomorrow." She patted my shoulder and stood. I glanced up at her, worried.

She shook her head and smiled sadly. "I'm ok, Alex." She began to walk out of the room and I put my own head in my hands.

"Alex?" I looked up to see Jaime biting her lip in uncertainty. "Yeah?"

"Thanks." And she left the tiny living room leaving me with my thoughts.

I woke up in the tiny room that Jaime had given to me while I stayed with her. I had no recollection of how I had gotten there. I remembered falling asleep on the couch. I looked at the little desk and smiled. My sister had left cherry poptarts on a plate for me. My favorite.

The clock on the wall told me that my sister was already long gone. I got up and winced at my face in the mirror. I looked horrible. I had fallen asleep with my make up one and my hair had adopted some weird shape that I was sure only a shower could handle. I trudged to the bathroom and washed my face off and then threw my hair into a ponytail. I then donned my grey sweats and took my pop tarts and a book I had brought with me from home into the living room.

I wasn't going anywhere today. I had a lot of mental battles to play out in my mind and it was going to be a long and exhausting day.

I opened my book and began to munch on my poptarts. I had gotten pretty into the book, Wuthering Heights tended to do that to me, when there was a knock on Jaime's door. I looked up startled. Who the heck was knocking on Jaime's door at 11 o'clock in the morning? All the people she knew where in class…Maybe it was Kye? Either way, I jumped up and opened it cautiously.

Well, it was somebody Jaime knew all right. But it was also someone that I knew.

"Darce? What are you doing here?" I asked, embarrassed at my appearance.

He grinned. "I know that you have nothing to do while Jaime is in class…"

Had I told him that?

"So, I figured you wouldn't mind coming to my house to meet my sister." He finished.

His sister?! Go to his house?!

"Uhh…" what the hell? "Sure, yeah let me just get changed…" he nodded and stood there like he was waiting for something else. Oh yeah. "You wanna come in?" he nodded and I stood to the side and pointed to the couch, where the remains of my breakfast sat. I hurriedly picked up my plate and took it into the kitchen. "I…uh…I'll be right back." I said dumbly.

I hurried back into the little room and grabbed all my stuff for a shower and my clothes. The shower was too short and my hair would not do anything. He was waiting and I had to get ready while he was here. Why was I so nervous?

Finally, I emerged from the bathroom and found him on the couch reading my book. He looked up when I walked in a grinned again. "Ready?" he asked. I nodded and he stood up placing the book down on the couch behind him.

The trip to his house was short. He drove his own car. Not the candy apple Porsche he had in America, but a sleek black Ferrari. His house was huge. That was my initial impression. My second impression was that it was beautiful.

It stood three stories high and was an off white color with a ton of windows and a security gate that bordered a grassy lawn. The front doors were a deep mahogany and what was behind them was just as magnificent. The doors opened up to a marble parlor with a large winding staircase in the middle of the room. The front parlor itself was adorned with potted plants and large paintings and on other side of the room, double doors leading to other parts of the house.

Darce led me towards one of the side doors and I heard the faint strains of a piano. We walked into what I would call a living room and I found the source of the music.

A beautiful baby grand sat in the glow of double glass doors, and at it sat a beautiful girl, no older than 16, playing the most beautiful composition I had ever heard.

I stood listening in awe until the beautiful sound stopped suddenly and the girl jumped up, beaming.

"You must be Alex!" she exclaimed, still beaming. She walked towards us and I could see the resemblance between Darce and her immediately. She had the dark eyes and hair, but her face was much lighter than his. Much happier.

"You must be Georgie?" I replied. She positively glowed at the sound of me saying her name.

"Noah's told me so much about you. I feel like I already know you." She stated.

"Has he now?" I replied shooting Darce a look. Georgie nodded. Darce looked suddenly embarrassed. "I'll leave you ladies to get to know one another." He muttered, then turned and walked out of the room. Georgie giggled and then grabbed my hand, dragging me towards her beautiful instrument.

"Do you play?" she asked hopefully. I shook my head. "Would you like to learn?"

This time I shook my head with more intensity. "Oh no, Georgie. I couldn't play that thing if you had programmed it into my brain. Why don't you play? You sounded amazing when I came in." she grinned at the compliment and didn't decline my request that she play. I stood by the piano as another beautiful composition flowed easily from her fingertips. I closed my eyes and let the music flow around me in melodic waves, only opening them again when the magical sound stopped. Georgie smiled up at me.

"I shouldn't have embarrassed Noah. He asked me not to mention that he talks about you." she looked thoughtful for a minute. "I'm not supposed to say anything, but I think I should." I looked at her questioningly.

"Noah is a good man, and a great brother. He has provided for me and looked after me ever since our parents died. There is no truer friend or no kinder person."

I started to say something and she held her hand up. "I just want to say that, even though you think him cold and indifferent to the situations of others, he truly cares. And he truly loves you, Alexandria Benne. I know that may not change anything in your eyes, but I had to say my piece." She smiled warmly at me, and then resumed playing.

I stood there as she was playing, trying to absorb everything that this girl who I barely knew, had just said. I knew he loved me. And I had been told before that he was a great person. But, did I believe that? He was still the cause of my sister's distress…whether it had been to help his friend or not. Katie had a child, but that wasn't really his fault. I didn't hate him….but was there something more?

I heard someone clear their throat behind and me and saw that Darce was back. He smiled gently at me and nodded towards his still playing sister. "She's quite talented, isn't she?" he asked.

"Yeah. She's excellent." I replied. All the while, Georgie had a small knowing smile on her face.

I spent the rest of the day hanging out with Georgie as she showed me the rest of her house and then had shown me the spacious back yard. The house was gorgeous and I was astounded that something so large was only occupied by two people.

I finally got back to Jaime's about ten minutes before she got home. I had gone into the kitchen to start making her dinner(she deserved a break) when she came up behind me and hugged me fiercely.

"Hi Jaime." I laughed and proceeded to move around the kitchen. Jaime continued to stand in the middle of the kitchen, and only when I noticed she was absolutely beaming, did I stop.

"What's up, Jaime?" I asked cautiously. She grinned wider, if that was even possible. "I saw Kye today."

Well, she was smiling so it couldn't have been too bad. "And?"

She responded by sticking her left hand out. I didn't know what she was doing until I saw the glint of a diamond on her ring finger.

"Jaime…is that?" she nodded enthusiastically and then gestured at something in the living room, which I couldn't see from where I was standing. She held her hand out towards the living room and in walked Kye Bingle to receive that hand.

"Hello Alex." He smiled shyly at me.

My eyes grew wide. "Well this is unexpected." I finally said. They both grinned at me. "I suppose I should get more pasta." I laughed.

"I'm not staying, Alex. I just wanted to walk my fiancé to her flat and see you again of course." Bingle said. He turned towards Jaime and raised her hand up to kiss it. "See you later?" he asked. She nodded and reluctantly let go of his hand, letting him leave.

When he was gone, Jaime looked at me with the biggest grin I had seen on her face in almost two years. "Jaime? What the.." she held her hand up.

"I know it seems like me being engaged is out of the blue.."  
"It is!"

"But, Alex. Kye came to my campus today and found me. He said he wanted to talk. He showed up and we started talking. He said that the only reason he sent us back to America and he didn't come back with us, was because he was afraid I didn't feel as strongly for him as he did for me. He apologized. For everything. He said he's been so stupid. He feels horrible for not getting in contact with me at all. He wanted to tell me….he loves me Alex." She said these last words with tears in her eyes.

I started towards Jaime and she held her hand up stopping me. "I told him that I loved him too. And that I always had, even with being apart from him."

To me this all sounded rather absurd. People didn't not see each other for almost two years and then get engaged on the same day that they met again.

"Jaime? You haven't seen him for almost two years." I said.

She nodded. "I was just as shocked when he knelt on the ground in front of me and opened a ring box. He asked me to marry him, or at least think about it. I told him there was nothing to think about, and then told him I would marry him."

"Jaime…"

"I know this sounds insane. But, Alex, I have never felt this way about anybody. I was so happy when he showed up on campus today. We aren't going to get married for a while…maybe a couple years down the road. But he told me he didn't want to lose me again. Ever…"

I didn't know what I should say. I didn't think her getting engaged to a man she hadn't seen in a while was the smartest thing in the world. But on the other hand, I had never seen her so happy, and I knew that she would take things slowly with the marriage process. She was by no means stupid. Just love sick.

"Well, Jaime….congratulations. We should call mom."

"NO!"

"Why not?!"

"I…well, not yet. I don't think she needs to know just yet. I'll tell her when I go home at the end of this summer. Ok, Alex?"

"If that's the way you want it."

"It is….thanks Alex." She smiled brightly and I couldn't help but feel incredibly happy for my sister. She had her dream guy. I didn't know how, or why he suddenly came forward with his feelings or whatever, but I didn't really care at this point.

Jaime fell asleep on the couch shortly after our conversation. Which was fine with me. I had a lot to think about. I spend the day with Darce, his sister tells me he still loves me, and then out of the blue Kye Bingle shows up and proposes to my sister? I couldn't help but feel Darce was responsible for this. But it didn't really make sense either way. I feel asleep next to Jaime contemplating all of this.

The summer passed uneventfully. I saw Kye every now and again when he came over to see Jaime. They had been going over their plans to tell our parents and his as well. There was also the matter of where they would live. Jaime really liked London, but Kye didn't want her to have to move too far from her family. For now, on that subject they were undecided.

I continued to visit Georgie, but Darce was never there. She said that he had gone out to take care of some business. One day when I was there I asked after him, like I usually did and she smiled knowingly.

"He's actually out of town. I think he's gone to help a friend of his." She sipped her tea and then winked at me, leaving me to interpret what I would from it.

I didn't ask after him after that. It seemed pointless, as Georgie probably wouldn't have given me anymore information about how the situation with the friend was going. I got several emails from mom, updating me on the growth of my little niece and asking me how I was doing. I wanted so bad to tell her about Jaime, but I knew Jaime would be upset at me if I did. So, when asked about Jaime, I would tell mom how her classes were going and that she was showing me London. Which wasn't a lie. She was showing me London when she wasn't in classes or with Kye.

All too soon, the summer was over though, and Jaime and I had to return home. Jaime had received a scholarship to continue going to her college in London, so she'd be returning in September. But for now, she was going to face our parents with the news about her recent change in relationship status.

When we got off the plane in New York, mom was there to greet us. She ran to us, tears in her eyes like she hadn't seen us in years instead of a few months. The drive home was full of chatter and thankfully mom didn't notice Jaime's carefully concealed left hand.

We finally arrived home and Jaime ran to see Rae. She had gotten bigger and Katie watched her like a hawk. I was proud of how much more mature she seemed. A baby could do that to you I suppose. But it was still a comfort to know that Katie was growing up with this new responsibility.

Maria, I had found out upon arrival, had left to go to a boarding school in Chicago that she had applied for and received a scholarship. I was upset that she had left, but proud at the same time. Liza was a doting aunt and like Katie never took her eyes off of Rae.

Home was a comfortable place to be for a few weeks before I had to leave for my own college and Jaime had to go back to London. I loved my flaky family and couldn't believe how much I had missed them.

One day a few days before Jaime and I were set to leave, there was a knock at our door. It was around dinner time. We had taken to having family dinners lately, and the unexpected visitor bothered my father. I went to answer the door and when I opened it and saw the person standing on our porch I stopped.

"Wickham?!"

He smiled half heartedly at me. "Hey American girl. Is your father home?" I stood aside and let him in while calling for dad. Dad got up from the table grumbling and stopped short when he saw who was at the door.

"Can I help you?" he asked coldly. I had never seen my father angry before, but Wickham was not in for a pleasant ride.

"Sir, I'd like to talk to you about the matter of my daughter." I was shocked, and by the look on my father's face, so was he. Then his face changed to what I recognized as his lawyer face. He gestured down the hallway towards his home office and Wickham followed him. By this time all of my siblings and my mother had stuck their heads around the corner of the dining room wall. Kaite looked white and Jaime and Liza looked mad.

"What's he doing here?" Jaime asked.

"I don't know."

"We both agreed that marriage wasn't best for the situation. He doesn't want to marry her, and I sure as hell don't want that vagrant as a son in law. But we came to an agreement for child support. He agreed to pay for half her schooling as well. I was shocked by how civil he was about this whole thing. As for custody, he wants to see Rae. He is going to try to move to the US somewhere near here and get a job. We've agreed that until he gets a steady job and gets his head on straight, he's going to have supervised visitation here. Then once Rae is older, every other weekend. This will all have to be finalized by a judge, but since he seems so willing to go along with all of this, I don't think any of this will be much of a problem." My father, my mother and I were all sitting in his office.

Wickham had just left and my dad had called me and my mother into his office. I was astounded. Wickham was so anal about this whole situation when I had talked to him this past summer in London, and now he had come and negotiated it with my father. I had to see what had changed. I left my father's office, hoping that Wickham hadn't gotten too far. I was right. He was just walking down our steps.

"Wickham!" I called after him. He looked up at me from the sidewalk.

"What do you want?" he asked with a weary voice.

"What was that all about? When I was in London, you seemed so stuck on not having anything to do with Katie or Rae. What the hell changed?" I practically yelled at him.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "Look, I knew she was my daughter. That picture pretty much proved it. I could see my eyes looking back at me from a freaking photograph. I just felt it was time…."

"Bull."

"What?"

"Bull. What's in it for you?"

"Look Alex, It's time I grew up. Freaking Darce made me see that…."

"Wait. Darce?"

"Yeah…came to my pub one day, and told me to be a man about this whole situation. It was him that made me realize how much I hurt your family. I…well I want to make up for it."

"Darce?"

"Alex, don't make a big deal of it or anything. He actually told me not to tell anyone we talked. So don't mention it to your sister…or your dad." He looked at me with weary eyes. "Please?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Can I go?" he asked, turning towards his car. "yeah…yeah sure." I replied after he was already getting into the passenger seat. Wickham drove away and I stood on the porch.

Darce did this?

A/N: Hey guys…wooo…a lot happened in this chapter…I didn't want to stop writing. But alas, I have finals to study for. Boooo…but enjoy : ) Let me know what you think


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own P&P….at all.

"Alex?" my mother's worried voice startled me out of my surprised stupor. I was still on the porch, and had no idea how long I had been there. "Alex, what are you doing out here? Come inside, Jaime wants to tell us something." My mother pulled me inside and towards the living room where my family had gathered. Jaime was seated on the couch, looking timid. My mother sat me and herself on the opposite couch and indicated that Jaime should go ahead with her news.

"Well. I met Kye Bingle again while I was in London." She started

"That boy isn't worth your time. He left you…." My mother was only shut up by Jaime thrusting her left hand out and her engagement ring flashing in the light.

My mother gasped and grabbed Jaime's hand. "You're engaged!?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah. It happened before I came back home." Jaime muttered, her pale skin flushing a brilliant red. My mother looked back towards me. "You knew and didn't tell me?" she accused.

"Jaime told me…"

"Oh, I have got to call Linda and tell her all about this. She'll be so jealous. Her daughter can't get so much as a date." My mother let go of Jaime's hand and rushed out of the room. My father smiled at my sister. "Congratulations, Jaime." My dad got up and patted Jaime's shoulder, before leaving the room. Katie and Liza ogled the ring, while I made my own exit.

My sisters seemed to be in excellent shape. Katie's baby had support and the love of my family. Jaime was getting married to her high school sweet heart. And I was still more confused than I had ever been. Darce had helped Katie. Who was to say that he hadn't done something to help Jaime and Kye get back together. Maybe, I had misjudged him. He seemed a cold, prideful guy who did not care for anyone but himself. But was that really who he was?

That night, I dreamed. I dreamt I was in a field. I was walking as the sun was rising slowly behind me. It was chilly and I wrapped my arms around myself. It was then that I noted I was wearing a dress that looked severely dated. As in the style it would've been back in the 18th century. The dress was plain, but still had its own gracefulness about it in the way that it flowed. In my dream I knew something had happened to put me in a thoughtful mood. I don't know who I was looking for, but subconsciously I knew I was looking for someone. I wandered across a small bridge that lay over a small brook. It was on the bridge that I stopped and looked over it into the water. In my dream, I stared for a long time, the water playing with my imagination.

After a time I saw a face become clear in the stream. I smiled at what I thought was an image produced from my imagination, until I felt his hand on my arm, and felt his breath tickle my ear.

"Alex…." He breathed.

"Alex! Get up! Geez, it's 11 o'clock and you still need to pack!" my mother startled me awake from my dream. I still felt the warmth of his breath and the weight of his hand. But _who was he_? I knew that voice, yet I couldn't place it. I buried my head under my pillow till I felt my mother pull it off.

"Alexandria Benne, get your lazy ass out of bed…now!" she walked away again mumbling something about ungrateful children. She seemed to be in a bad mood. But then she usually was when Jaime, and I guess me too now, was about to leave.

I did get up this time and glanced about my room. There were boxes piled in the corners full of clothing and stuff that I'd need in my dorm room at NYU. It seemed like only yesterday I had moved into this suburban nightmare. This one place that had changed my life in ways that I still didn't understand. But it had changed my life, and maybe even to some extent it had changed me as well.

This place had had an effect on our family that I am sure none of us saw coming. Katie having a child, Liza growing up quickly to accommodate, and Maria deserting the family because things got too hard. Jaime had met the love of her life and had it stolen from her, only to be restored her love much later. And what had happened to me? I had met my best friend and helped her find the love of her life. I had been proposed to and rejected him flat. I had gone to London and had the feelings which I was so sure of; feelings of loathing for a man who I had misjudged, start to become questioned.

As all of these things ran through my head, I began to pack up the last of my stuff. Tomorrow, Jaime would be on a plane to London and I would be loading my newly acquired Jeep and heading up to New York for my first year of college.

"ALEX!" my mother practically screamed from downstairs.

"I'm up! I swear!" I yelled back at her.

"Well get down here. You have a phone call!" she called back. Sheesh, we had a cordless. Would it have killed her to walk up the stairs instead of killing the poor person on the other line's ear?

"Coming!" I stomped down the stairs my mood suddenly darkened by my mother. She handed me the phone and went back into the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Alex! Oh, Hey! I am so glad to talk to you. So, my wedding has been moved up to August 20th. Can you make it? Oh, please say you can! You're the maid of honor! Which reminds me…"

"Why hello, Charly. Nice to talk to you too. Yes I can make it to your wedding on the 20th. I'll be in New York tomorrow for start of semester."

"Great. So, you're first fitting is the 12th at Bennie's Dresses…"

"Charly. Tomorrow is the 12th."

"Oh, I know..but your classes don't start till the 15th anyways. You should be fine."

"Charly. I'm driving up there tomorrow. I don't know when I'll be there exactly…"

"Alex, please? Can't you leave early tomorrow?" she pleaded. I could see her face over the phone giving me that look I knew so well. I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

"Yeah, sure Charly. I'll be there."

"Great!" she squealed. I swear I would never understand how stupid people could act when they were in love, or getting married. She gave me the address to the dress shop and I hung up.

Surveying my room, piled with boxes, I sighed, running my hand through my already very messy hair. I needed something..an escape…anything.

I fell gasping, on my front steps. The run had been exactly what I needed. Running always did that to me. It cleared my head allowing me to focus on the rhythmic sounds of my footsteps. I still hadn't figured out anything. My mind was still a tangled web of confusion. But, at least I had gotten to run out my frustration.

"Alex?" my mother opened the screen door and peered out at me. "Please tell me you've finished packing." She pleaded. I sighed heavily and nodded. It wasn't entirely a lie. I was mostly packed. All that was left was my bedding and a few books. Not much at all comparatively. My mother walked out on the porch and bent to sit next to me on our front steps.

"What's wrong Alex?" she asked her voice all of a sudden motherly and soft. I shrugged, not entirely sure myself. "Is this about Jaime and Kye? Because, you know you'll get there someday. I'm sure you'll find yourself a man as soon as you step foot on campus…" she stopped at the sight of me raising my hand.

"It's not that at all. I don't need a man. I..I just don't know." I sighed, reluctantly admitting defeat. She hugged me then and kissed the top of my head. "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, you can always count on your old mother." She got up, leaving me alone on the porch, wrapped in my own thoughts.

Eventually, I stood, dusting the back of my shorts off, and went back into the house. Katie was in the living room with little Rae, playing with some large blocks. Rae was cooing and grabbing at Katie's face while Katie laughed. It was strange seeing my youngest sister playing with her own child. Liza sat on the couch, curled around a pillow, watching, a small grin on her still innocent face. I would miss this when I went away to college.

I shuffled into the kitchen finding my mother peeling potatoes and chatting with Jaime about the wedding that was still a long time coming. My father, surprisingly, was sitting at the breakfast nook reading his daily paper. And there on the counter, was a letter from Maria.

My family…so sure of their lives. They all knew what they wanted and knew what they had. While I was still so unsure. My future was a dim light at the end of a very long tunnel. I smiled to myself, letting myself absorb the aura of my family for the last time before I went away to college. I would miss them and this suburban hell. I finally trekked up to my room and fell onto my bed, letting sleep claim me.

"That's not too tight is it?" the seamstress asked me for the uptenth time that hour. I was at Bennie's Dresses with a beaming Charly looking on as I was fitted into my dress. I had left early that morning. Jaime left shortly after I did. My mother looked heartbroken but I assured her I would come home often. My father, always a man to avoid emotional situations, had texted me goodbye after I had been on the road for a while.

Charly had greeted me at my dorm, helping me unload all my junk before carting me off to the dress shop. She hadn't changed at all. She was still the same girl I had run into back on my old street. Still as silly and giddy as she had always been. I hadn't yet seen Collins though I had been assured that he was thoroughly excited to see me.

"There." The seamstress stood up and smiled. "You look gorgeous, Alex." Charly grinned at me. I turned as indicated to look in the full length mirror and gasped. The seamstress had done a great job. She had made my runner's body look like it had a shape and had managed to make me look like I had boobs too. My hair was pulled back in a pony tail, but I could imagine the style that I was promised. I looked like an actual woman instead of a tall skinny boy.

After I had changed out of my dress, Charly drove me back to my dorm and I unpacked. The semester started in three days and then it would be Charly's wedding. I couldn't help but be excited. Charly and Collins were made for each other it seemed. Both were a little over the top in their own ways, but in some strange way, I loved them both.

The semester started smoothly. I found all of my classes and they all seemed like they were going to be great. The week fly by and before I knew it, it was the Friday before Charly's wedding and I was driving to the elaborate mansion that I had gone to for their engagement party.

Charly met me in the drive way, giddy with excitement and pulled me into a big hug as soon as I got out of the car. "I'm so happy you're here!" she squealed.

"Hi Charly!" I squealed back and hugged her tightly. I had missed my best friend. She finally released me and helped me get my luggage out of my trunk.

"So, is there anything I can help with?" I asked. She shook her head. "Nope. Auntie Catherine hired us a catering service and they do everything for the reception. The church is being decorated by her staff. She's so nice to be doing all of this for us." She responded. I was impressed. Auntie Catherine didn't seem like the kind of person who would do all that for her nephew and his bride to be. But who knew, she could just be very fond of her brother.

I smiled and followed her to the guest bedroom. It was the same bedroom that I had read Darce's letter and I began to feel nostalgic as I put my suitcase on the bed. Charly left me to unpack and told me to be downstairs for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner in an hour.

I walked around the room; going to stand by the window where I looked out on that night that Darce had told me he loved me. I had despised him at that moment. His letter had not yet come and there was nothing I wanted more than to have his head on a stick and displayed so the world would know what a villain he actually was. I walked over to the bed, tracing my hand over the comforter and remembering falling heavily upon the bed as I read Darce's letter. I had felt so confused. He had explained himself very clearly. It seemed I had been confused since I left this bedroom. So much had changed. So much had happened. I sunk to the floor at the edge of the bed, staring at the clock on my cell phone till it was time to change into my rehearsal dinner dress and head downstairs.

Charly and Collins were at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me. They looked cute holding hands, their cheeks flushed in excitement.

"Ready?" Collins asked me when he saw me approach. I nodded and we got into the car that was waiting to take us to the church.

We arrived at the church and I watched in silent satisfaction as Collins and Charly stumbled through their mock wedding. Tomorrow would be the greatest day of their lives and I was so happy that I was getting to witness it. The rehearsal ended fairly quickly and the dinner that followed was delicious. Collin's family was sparing no expense for this wedding. I was beginning to think that Collin's family thought he would never get married. All of them were very excited to meet Charly and the congratulations (though the actual ceremony hadn't taken place yet) flowed freely. Charly beamed and glowed with love as she held Collin's hand shyly at the head table.

The dinner having ended, Charly, Collins, and I piled back into the car and rode back to the mansion. When we got there, they bid me good night and left me to my thoughts. The wedding was tomorrow and I couldn't have been more ecstatic. But, I still couldn't help to feel a little sad. Everyone was growing up and moving ahead with their life. I was still stuck in the past, haunted by feelings I wasn't sure I had. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, then flopped on the bed still clothed.

I awoke to the sound of someone pounding on my door. I rolled over and looked at the clock on my cell phone. It was 3 a.m. I groaned and got out of bed to open the door. It was Charly.

"Alex..I..I don't know if I want to marry Collins tomorrow." She whispered, biting her lip. I sighed, pulling her into my room and shutting the door. "Why not?" I asked her.

"I…well I don't know if I'm ready for this. I mean…it's such a huge step and I don't know if I'm ready to be Mrs. Collins." She flopped down on the bed, burying her head under the pillow. I stroked her back trying to think of comforting words. She just had cold feet and I needed to show her that.

"Well Charly, tell me this. Why did you agree to marry Collins?"

"I..I don't know." She moaned in frustration.

"Do you love him?" I asked, still stroking her back.

She sat up abruptly, looking me straight in the eye. "More than anything." She whispered.

"Then what's the problem? If two people love each other, they deserve to be with each other for the rest of their lives. That's what you and Collins are doing. You are living your life with each other. Isn't that what you want?"

She nodded. "I…I just don't want this to be a mistake." She hung her head.

"Charly, how can love be a mistake? It's a wonderful thing and Collins loves you. I can see that when he looks at you. You two…you guys will make it. I promise." I winked at her.

"What if we don't though?"

"Are you willing to throw this all away on the off chance that you won't make it? Charly…don't do something that you'll regret. I know if you run away from this, you'll spend every minute of your life thinking 'what if?' Do you really want that?"

She smiled weakly at me. "Never." She whispered and hugged me tightly.

"Good. Then I suggest you get to bed. You're getting married tomorrow." I pushed her away from me gently and saw she was smiling.

"Thank you, Alex. I..I don't want to lose him, ever. And I don't want to lose you either." She hugged me again and left closing my door slightly. I nodded, having known this minute would come and silently congratulating myself on an easy victory. I fell asleep and dreamed.

My dream was the exact same as before. I was still standing at the bridge, looking down at my reflection. His face appeared again next to mine, and I felt his hand on my elbow; his breath on my ear as he whispered my name. I closed my eyes, reveling in being so close to him. I turned towards him and opening my eyes smiled up at him.

"I love you, Alexandria Benne." And then Darce kissed me.

I woke up, startled by my dream. Darce…he was the one…my dream. What was my subconscious trying to tell me? I sat up, pressing the palms of my hands against my eyes. I didn't have time to sort this out. I had a wedding to be at.

I got up, showered, and headed down stairs for a quick breakfast. Then, I went back upstairs, got my dress and went to Charly's room. She opened the door at my knock immediately. She looked radiant and all that had been done was her hair being started.

"Alex! Can you believe that I'm getting married today!" She practically yelled at me. Her mom smiled at me from behind Charly and Charly's sister beamed at me from the couch. They were all so very happy for her. So, I squeled back and shook my head. "No, I can't. But Collins is a lucky man."

I stepped into the room, laying my dress on her bed. "Let's get started. The wedding's in three hours." I said.

An hour later, I sat letting a woman I didn't know play with my hair. She was putting so many bobby pins in my hair, that I knew the task of getting them out was going to be an adventure. Charly's hair was already done. Her make-up was done, and she sat for a little bit, watching me go through the beautification process. I suppose she was resting a bit before putting her dress on. She smiled at me.

"You're beautiful, Charly." I told her looking at her in the mirror. She shook her head. "Not as beautiful as you. I don't know how I'll be able to compare standing next to you."

"Silly girl. No one is going to be paying me the slightest bit of attention while you're up there. You are the one getting married after all." I winked at her.

"Oh, I don't know if there will be no attention on you." She said with a gleam in her eye.

"Wha…" I began before the make-up lady attacked me. "Close your mouth. You'll smudge my lip liner." She whined at me.

Finally, we were in our dresses and on our way down to the cars. Collins had left earlier, not wanting to see his bride before the ceremony. Charly, her family, and I rode in a limo to the church in silence. We arrived at the church and were shuffled into a small room off to the side of the auditorium. Obviously, Charly was nervous and we took turns calming her down.

The time came when we all had to take our places. I walked down the aisle and turned to watch my radiant best friend walk slowly down the aisle herself. Collins was grinning from ear to ear at the sight of her.

The service flew by and they were married. The wedding party piled into the limo to head back to the mansion where the reception would be held. The dinner was even more glorious than the rehearsal dinner had been. The dance started and I couldn't have been happier to see the beaming couple dancing holding each other closely. I knew they would always be together.

A while into the reception, I was sitting at a table by myself, drinking a glass of champagne, when I felt someone come up beside me. I turned, smiling to greet them and then stopped. It was Auntie Catherine and she had murder in her eyes. "Alexandria Benne. We need to talk." She said, turning and expecting me to follow her. Which I did. You simply did not do what Auntie Catherine wanted.

She walked a ways and stopped suddenly on the edge of the large tent that the reception was in.

"Tell me, Alexandria. You know my dear adopted nephew Noah Darce, do you not?"

I nodded in affirmation. "As I thought." She continued. "Then you know of the ridiculous rumor that you two are engaged?"

I looked at her in confusion. "Ma'am?"

"Don't pretend. Answer me straight girl. Are you or are you not engaged to Noah Darce."

"No."

She looked relieved. "And you will promise to never enter into such an engagement?"

"I won't make promises I can't keep." I stared coldly at her.

"What of this? He is engaged to my daughter. They have been engaged for a long time!"

"Then you shouldn't be worried about me getting engaged to an engaged man."

"Insolent child. Do you really think yourself worthy of Noah Darce? He is twice the human being you will ever be." She seemed to grow in height. "You will never set foot near him again. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear, ma'am. But I will see Noah Darce again if I so choose. You have insulted me and I won't stand here and be insulted further." I nodded my head and walked away from her. She yelled after me, though I ignored her and the dance music was too loud for her to be heard.

I spent the rest of the reception at my table alone, thinking. I saw Darce's face: his smile, his deep eyes. I saw his sister grinning at me. I saw myself, giving Charly that advice last night. Did I want to spend the rest of my life in 'what if?' I knew now what I had to do. It was just a matter of how.

The reception ended and I stayed in the mansion again that night. I would leave back for college the next day. I sat on my bed, staring out at the moonlight grass until the moonlight began to fade, replaced by the faint light of the rising sun. Then I got up, and walked.

I took the same path that I ran to get away from the story of Darce's cruelness to my sister. I ended up in the same gazebo he had proposed to me in. I sank down onto one of the benches in the gazebo and curled in on myself. My mind was a blur with so many images of what I should do. I now knew what I wanted.

I stared out at the large expanse of grass between me and the mansion. I stared so long, that my eyes began to play tricks on me. I swore that I saw a long dark figure walking in my direction. My hallucinations were starting. I knew I should've slept last night. But, wait! No! The figure kept getting bigger and the face began to take shape. It couldn't be. And then the figure was in the gazebo with me.

"Hello, Alex." Darce smiled down at me. I nodded at him.

We both stared at each other in silence for a minute before we both began to speak at the same time. I apologized and indicated he should go on.

"I…I want to apologize for Auntie Catherine. She had no right to say those things to you." He sat on a bench opposite me.

"Don't be Darce. She helped me realize something." He looked up suddenly, his eyes flashing.

I continued. "I want to thank you. For all you've done. Katie…and though I have no proof, Jaime. My family owes you.." he held his hand up.

"I don't want any thanks. I..I just want an answer from you Alex."

"An answer?"

"Your response to Auntie Catherine allowed me to hope. I haven't had hope in months. I want to know Alexandria. My feelings for you have not changed since the last time we were here." He gestured at the gazebo. "What I want to know, is have yours? Say that they haven't, and I'll disappear, never to darken your doorway again. But…if they have…then you must know…that…I love you, Alex. You…you leave me in agony. Please." He hung his head, as if it weighed a ton.

I walked over to him, raising his head up and looking into his eyes. And then, I kissed him.

A/N: I'm evil…but never fear…there may be more to come…there may not. Thanks to all who have read this story. I appreciate it more than you know.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own nothing…except for a crappy Toyota

Epilouge

"You've got a letter from Jaime." Darce said as he walked into the apartment.

It has been a year since I met Darce in the gazebo a second time. I showed him that yes, my feelings had changed and we've been together ever since. I moved off campus to an apartment and he followed me. We lived together in a two bedroom apartment. It was the way he'd wanted it. He had transferred to NYU to be with has been a great year. I love Darce more than I could have ever imagined and I am pretty sure he loves me just as much.

I stood up from the couch, stretching and walked into the kitchen where I heard his voice coming from. He was at the stove, making tea.

"Where's it at?" I asked him. He gestured towards the counter not saying anything. I walked over to the counter and grabbed the envelope with my sister's handwriting on it. I began to read the letter:

_Hey little sis!_

_My wedding date has been set. This letter is to remind you and Darce about your duties as best man/ maid of honor. Kye sends his best to both of you…_

She continued on for a page and a half about her wedding and the minor details it entailed. The letter finally ended with this:

_I can't wait to see you and the family again. I love and miss you guys!_

_Love, _

_Jaime_

_P.S. Tell Darce I said congratulations _

"Darce? What am I supposed to con…" I turned towards him and found him kneeling on one knee in front of me. He grabbed my hand, kissing it and slipped a box out of his pocket. He opened the box, revealing a diamond ring.

"Alexandria Benne?" he began slipping the ring out of the box and onto my ring finger. "Will you marry me?" I looked down at my left hand, cradled in his hand with the ring weighing slightly on my finger and then looked back at him with tears starting to well up in my eyes.

I pulled him up and gave him the same answer I had a year ago. I kissed him.

A/N: Again..Thank you so much for reading and staying with this story. I know it took a while and I appreciate you continuing to read it. I hope you somewhat enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed writing it. Please review and let me know what you thought of it. Happy reading =]


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